


Penance

by Hawkerin



Series: Moving Forward [1]
Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-03-29 20:27:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 67,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3909514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hawkerin/pseuds/Hawkerin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose is mourning the loss of her Doctor after almost five years of marriage.  She escapes the memories in London only to find herself face to face with Alec Hardy.  (A Broadchurch season 2 rewrite)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Same Face, New Man

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: This is my first real crossover story. I know there are a few Broadchurch crosses that bring Alec and Rose together, but most of them were written before we had season 2. This will probably be less fluffy than my usual stuff, it's just the nature of Broadchurch. I hope you like it, please review.

Chapter 1 – Same Face, New Man

 

They had been so happy together. In July of 2008, Rose and her new, new, new Doctor had returned to Pete's World. It didn't take long for Rose to realize that he was still the Doctor in every way that mattered. They had gotten married right away, not willing to waste another minute after all the time they had wasted before in denial of their feelings. And they were really, really happy.

 

The Doctor had decided to use her last name. She loved the sound of her name falling from his lips. He had always said those two words as if they were the most important words in the universe. So his new identity was John Tyler.

 

Both Rose and John Tyler worked at Torchwood. It was the best place for them, after all. Where else on Earth could they put their skills in dealing with alien threats to good use. It gave them the needed adrenaline rush, tested their limits, and allowed them to save the world together on a daily basis. That was what they had always done and what they wanted to do for their forever together.

 

All of that came crashing down only one month before their fifth wedding anniversary. On the fourth day of June, 2013, Rose scattered the ashes of her husband into the waters of Bad Wolf Bay. It was something that they had agreed upon, when the morbid subject came up. They wanted to be together at the end in the same place that they had started. His people burned their dead and she honoured that, both because of those traditions and because she didn't want anyone experimenting on his partially alien body.

 

She thought back to the accident again. Could she have saved him, if she had been just a little bit faster? The aliens had been a race that he had recognized and he was speaking to them in their native language. Their translation software wasn't working on the new species, but the Doctor could communicate with them. The Doctor had said they were trying to hide on Earth, begging for refugee status from their war torn planet, and they were afraid. One of the younger males had gotten fidgety and drew a weapon. Rose had tried to activate the portable forcefield that they had brought, but fumbled with the buttons for a few critical seconds before the alien had fired on her husband.

 

Everything happened so quickly after that. It was all such a blur in her mind. Crying over him as she begged him not to leave her again. His whispered words of love and adoration. It was only a few minutes before his single heart had stopped and she saw his beautiful, brown eyes go from their deep, ancient gaze to something hollow. And ever since that day, she felt just as hollow inside.

 

It was in September that Rose Tyler decided that she needed to get away from London and away from Torchwood. The memories and the people staring were drowning her. She had tried to bury herself in the lifestyle that they were so used to, but her reckless behaviour had forced Pete to order her off of active duty. Wandering the halls of Torchwood Tower had been agonizing. They had tried to put her in Research and Development, or Archives, but no matter where she went, Rose was haunted by memories of her husband. When she wasn't imagining him walking around the corner every minute, she was faced with constant looks of pity.

 

And so, on the twenty-third of September, she was to start a new job, in a new town, with hopes of starting again. Pete had arranged for her to help train newly recruited police officers. Rose had always excelled in diplomacy and it would be her task to teach the recruits what to do in difficult situations. She was not to be put on duty as a police officer or Torchwood agent, due to her behaviour since John's death, but it was something to keep her busy.

 

Rose opened the door to the little house that Pete had bought for her. It was Saturday and she had the weekend to get herself settled before she started work. She wasn't near the beach. She had specifically told Pete that despite being happy to live in a seaside town, she did not want to be faced with a beach everyday. So, she found herself in a cozy subdivision, with young families all around her and a sweet little house, all to herself.

 

It felt so empty. She and the Doctor had shared a lovely flat in London. They didn't need more than that, since they were almost never there. They discovered very quickly that his new physiology still wasn't human enough for them to be compatible to have children. It was slightly disappointing, but they decided that it didn't matter, and if they wanted to raise a family, down the road, there were always children that needed to be adopted. Now, she thought that it would have been nice to have a little piece of him. A child that was theirs. But then she would be on her own raising that child, and Rose decided that even the thought was terribly selfish.

 

Rose brought all of her things in from the car and dumped the bags unceremoniously by the stairs. Not feeling particularly motivated to unpack just yet, she grabbed the bags of groceries that she had picked up on the way and went to the kitchen to make tea.

 

It was early that evening, when Rose cried herself to sleep on the sofa in the living room. But having gone the past few months without eating regular meals had left her exhausted most of the time, so it wasn't surprising when she awoke screaming at 3 am on the living room floor. Her clothes were drenched with sweat and her heart was pounding, as she reminded herself that the images flashing through her dreams were long since over. She was safe now, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to be. Because her Doctor wasn't here.

 

##################

 

Monday morning arrived quickly and Rose arrived at the Police Training Centre bright and early. She had prepared her lectures based on the classes used at Torchwood, but edited them to be more suitable for dealing only with humans. She was making a cup of tea in the break room, when the friendly woman that had greeted her that morning entered.

 

“Hello again! It was Rose, right?” she asked.

 

“Yes. Rose Tyler. Just moved here,” Rose answered.

 

“Oh my god! I thought you looked familiar. You're the daughter of Pete Tyler, aren't you?” she gasped.

 

“Yeah,” Rose answered and her gaze immediately dropped to her tea. She really didn't want to start with the looks of pity on her very first day.

 

“I didn't mean to upset you. It's just... well, who you're going to be working with. We had all teased him about it for months. Alec Hardy looks just like your husband,” she told her.

 

Rose gaped at her in shock for a moment. She had come here to get away from reminders of her husband. And she was assigned to work alongside someone who looked just like him? How much like him? Would this be like the identical Mickey/Ricky situation? Like her parallel mum and dad? It couldn't be. This wasn't a parallel Doctor, it was just some human who looked a lot like him, she was sure.

 

“I... thank you for warning me,” Rose stammered and left to get ready for her lecture.

 

It was lunch time before the infamous Alec Hardy arrived. He was only teaching classes in the afternoon that day and Rose was sitting in the break room again when he entered. Rose nearly fell out of her chair at the sight of him. She had expected someone with similar features from the warning she had been given, but the man before her was exactly the same down to the positioning of his freckles.

 

When Rose began to hyperventilate, Alec immediately tried to help her. “Are you alright, Miss? Is there anything I can do?” he asked her urgently.

 

Rose shook her head and tried to wave him off. His proximity wasn't helping matters at all. “No. I'm sorry. They told me that you looked like him, I just... I didn't...” she stuttered through shaky breaths. It had been almost four months since her husband's death, but the sight of his doppelganger brought images of the accident crashing back through her mind. Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she tried to calm herself.

 

“Looked like who?” Alec questioned as he brought the distraught woman a glass of water.

 

“My... my husband,” she told him.

 

Alec looked confusedly at her for a moment, then seemed to come to some kind of realization. “That John Tyler bloke from the tabloids?” he asked.

 

Rose nodded tensely. “He died a few months ago,” she informed him, since it seemed like he might not know.

 

“Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. I can see how that might be a shock. Ever since he appeared in the papers with you, I've had people teasing me about how I looked so much like him. I didn't recognize you, I'm sorry,” he said in an effort to calm her.

 

“It's alright. Not your fault. The different accent is helping me disassociate you from him. Well, that and the beard,” she responded, finally managing a small smile.

 

“From what I've been told, I'm not nearly as personable as he seemed to be. You'll most likely learn to despise me just as much as the rest of them do in no time,” Alec replied with a smirk.

 

“I can focus on differences. There are quite a lot of them that I've noticed already, but I don't think that I could despise anyone,” Rose told him. “I'm here to start over again and I'm not going to let reminders hold me back anymore.”

 

“That's a very good attitude, although I'm not sure that instructing new recruits fits most people's career aspirations,” he said as he made himself a cup of tea.

 

“It's not, but they won't let me back in the field. I got a bit... reckless after John died. They said I was a danger to myself and my team. So, for now, I'm sharing my expertise in diplomacy,” Rose explained.

 

“So, this is where they send everyone that is forced off of active duty? I was the DI for the local police force until a week ago. Medical reasons,” Alec shared.

 

“S'pose so. I'm sorry that I reacted so poorly when you came in. Perhaps we can start over? I'm Rose Tyler,” she said and extended her hand in greeting.

 

“Alec Hardy. A pleasure, Ms. Tyler,” he responded and shook her hand firmly.

 

Rose noticed that his hand was warmer than any of her Doctors' had been. Part of his alien physiology had meant a lower body temperature than humans. This man was definitely human. His accent, his hair, even the way he carried himself was so different from the Doctor. Rose was sure that if she focussed on those differences, she could see this different man with the same face for the person that he was and not who he looked like. If she could accept that the Doctor with a new face was the same man as her Doctor in leather, then she could learn to accept this new man with the face of her Doctor was someone else entirely.

 

“Just Rose, please,” she told him.

 

“I'll... try to remember that. But I do have a tendency towards just using surnames,” he replied. “I've got to go give a lecture now. It was very nice meeting you.”

 

When Alec had left, Rose looked down at the sandwich she had brought with her. She had barely eaten any of it, but couldn't seem to bring herself to having any more of it anyway. Her mother had been harping on her at home about the fact that she wasn't eating, but she didn't care. Nothing tasted right and she always felt nauseous when she tried to force something down.

 

She had one more class to teach before going home. Rose planned to go for a run after work and explore the area a bit. Ever since they had settled together in Pete's World, she and the Doctor had taken to running every day. Their jobs with Torchwood weren't nearly as active as life on the TARDIS and they loved the time spent together, just running, hand-in-hand.

 

Rose was jolted from her thoughts, as she collected her things from her locker, by one of the recruits. He was young and in good shape. Her first Doctor would have snorted at another 'pretty boy' following her around.

 

“Rose! How are you settling in?” he asked.

 

“Umm. Fine I guess, just got here a couple days ago. What was your name again?” she responded.

 

“Adam. I'm in all of your classes,” he answered and Rose rolled her eyes inwardly at the thought of another boy named Adam following her around like a lost puppy. “Look, I'd be happy to show you around the town. I've lived here all my life, it'd be no trouble,” he told her and leaned against the next locker.

 

“Thanks, but I've still got a lot of unpacking to do,” she replied, hoping that he would take the hint.

 

“Right, well, maybe another time,” he said with a toothy smile.

 

“Maybe,” Rose waved him off on her way out of the building.

 

######################

 

Alec arrived at the Training Centre about an hour before his first lecture for the new recruits. There wasn't much else for him to do around Broadchurch now that he had been removed from active duty. If it weren't for Claire being here, he probably wouldn't be.

 

The receptionist that he couldn't remember the name of at the moment, looked at him a little oddly when he came in, but didn't say anything, so he just went on to drop off his coat in his locker. He hated this job, but he certainly couldn't retire in his early forties. He had to do something. At least until his heart condition killed him.

 

He decided to get a cup of tea and made his way to the break room. The woman had nearly had a panic attack upon seeing him, but the reason behind it was understandable. It was obvious that she was not faring well after the death of her husband. While she was an attractive woman, it was obvious that she wasn't eating or sleeping well, and her near breakdown at his appearance showed just how fragile she was emotionally.

 

Alec decided to keep an eye on her for the rest of the day, just to make sure that the poor girl was alright. What he saw was someone who was extremely capable in her job, able to put on the mask of normalcy very effectively, and deeply broken beneath the surface. It was very familiar, although he wasn't sure that he had ever been able to mask his pain half as well as she seemed to.

 

He had noticed many of the recruits leering at her throughout the day, but to see one of them hitting on her already was ridiculous. She had just lost her husband and already the vultures were circling in on her. Rose had handled the situation very well, so he realized that she must be used to that sort of behaviour. Still, Alec made it his personal mission to protect her from that kind of harassment while she was grieving.

 

He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly protective of her. Perhaps being a fellow 'incomer,' as the locals called them, made him relate to her. But he thought it might be more about misery loving company. It was obvious to him, that behind her practised smile, there was unspeakable pain.

 

The walk back to the little place he was renting on the water wasn't too far. He had been given orders not to drive with his condition and the exercise probably did him some good. Along the way, he saw Rose going for a run through town. Her exercise clothes showed her spectacular muscle tone, but also emphasized that she wasn't eating. The fact that she seemed to be a practiced runner meant that she must have taken much better care of herself at some point, which only reiterated the fact that she needed an intervention of some kind.

 

The problem he faced then was, how to try and befriend her enough to help, without coming across like another one of the kids that were trying to get into her knickers. He decided that the best course of action for now, was to talk to her at work and try to keep everyone else from upsetting her.

 


	2. Tea and Sympathy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two!! Thank you for reading and reviewing! And thank you to my awesome beta TheDoctorMulder for discussing plans extensively for this. I have a feeling that the characters might take over some of those plans and change them as I'm writing, but it's always good to bounce the ideas off of someone.

Chapter 2 – Tea and Sympathy

 

 

Rose went through her days mechanically for a while. She did what was expected of her, but didn't feel like she was really living that new start she had been hoping for by moving away from London. She was living on coffee and the occasional biscuits. She slept only a few hours each night before the nightmares took over completely.

 

It was about a week after her move to Broadchurch when she collapsed while running one evening. She awoke in a hospital bed, feeling groggy. The lights were blurring her vision, but she could feel an IV in her arm and struggled back to full consciousness. Rose groaned at the pounding headache behind her eyes and felt someone take her hand.

 

“Hey, are you alright?” a woman's voice asked her.

 

“Um, I dunno. What happened?” Rose queried, blinking to look at the dark haired woman beside her.

 

“I was out for a run and saw you collapse. Called for an ambulance right away,” she replied.

 

“Oh. Thank you. Probably would have woken up before too long,” Rose sighed despondently. She almost wished that she wouldn't wake up most days.

 

“Hey now, don't say it that way,” the woman chastised with a supportive squeeze to her hand. “Now, I'm pretty sure you're new to the area. Don't recognize you anyway. My name's Beth.”

 

“Rose. And yeah, I'm new here. Had to get away from London for a while,” she told her.

 

“I like to go running. Maybe we could run together some time, eh? At least as long as I can. I'm pregnant and I'm sure I won't be able to in a couple more months,” Beth suggested.

 

“I'd like that. Could use a few friends, I suppose,” Rose admitted and stared at the ceiling. The Doctor would have wanted her to be happy and make new friends. She wasn't sure she could ever be happy again, though. Not without him.

 

One of the nurses arrived in the room, announcing, “I thought I heard voices in here. Glad you're back with us. Now, you were extremely dehydrated and malnourished. You were very lucky that Mrs. Latimer found you.”

 

“Yeah. Thanks, Beth,” Rose said with a small smile.

 

“It's no problem. I'll just let you get better now and I'm sure I'll see you later,” Beth replied as she gathered her things and left the room.

 

“We made some phone calls to your family after checking the identification in your pocket. Have you been seeing the counsellor they recommended for you, Rose?” the nurse asked knowingly.

 

“No, and I'm not going to. What right did you have to invade my privacy like that?” she demanded.

 

“Standard procedure to call your next of kin. They're worried about you,” the nurse told her.

 

“Yeah, and thanks to you, they're probably going to try and drag me back to London,” Rose complained angrily.

 

“I told them that you would be fine and that we would take good care of you. Your mum certainly likes to talk. I know it isn't my business, but I think you made a good decision to get away. Make some friends, take some time, and for the sake of your health, please eat some real food,” she responded with a sad smile.

 

Rose slumped back onto the pillows. It wasn't like her to snap at people like that. She felt so unlike herself lately, but she didn't want a counsellor. “I'll try. Thank you. Can I go now?” she asked.

 

The nurse nodded and removed the IV. The necessary paperwork was filled out and Rose made her way outside. It had been nice and sunny when she was running earlier and the sky now looked like it might rain. Her car was at home, so her choices were to walk or call a taxi. Rose decided that the walk and some thinking might do her good.

 

Running through the area daily had allowed her to learn the streets pretty well and Rose had no trouble finding her way back to an area that was familiar. She thought back to those last minutes spent with her husband before he died. He told her how much he loved her, how sorry he was to leave her so soon, but the one that truly broke her heart was when he told her to have a fantastic life. The words were so painful to hear again. Her first Doctor had said that in the recording when he sent her home from the Game Station. But just like she did then, she questioned how she could ever have a fantastic life without him. They were supposed to have forever. Five years wasn't forever.

 

She was jolted from her thoughts by the sound of a car horn and jumped back onto the curb behind her. The car, which she noticed was a taxi, immediately pulled over and Alec got out of the back.

 

“Ms. Tyler, are you alright?” he asked, looking at her worriedly.

 

It was then that Rose realized she was crying. She wiped at her tears nervously and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, just... thinking too much,” she replied dismissively.

 

Alec looked at her dubiously. “Why don't we go get a cuppa?” he suggested, nodding towards the nearby coffee shop.

 

“Alright,” she acquiesced and allowed him to lead the way.

 

############################

 

They both ordered tea and Alec got a plate of pastries that he planned to get her to eat, if possible. Sitting at a little table near the back, he considered what the best method was to start this conversation. He had been watching her for the last week at work as she continued to waste away. Simply protecting her from people upsetting her didn't seem to be enough. Rose needed someone to pull her out of the pit she had fallen into.

 

“Did something happen?” he asked gently.

 

“S'pose,” she said with a shrug. “I was running earlier and passed out. Beth Latimer saw me and called an ambulance. Was just walking back home now.”

 

“To be honest, I'm surprised it hasn't happened earlier,” he told her and she looked up at him, suddenly suspicious. “Relax. It's obvious that you aren't taking care of yourself, Tyler.”

 

Rose curled in on herself, embarrassed that everyone could see what she was doing. “I don't know what to do,” she whispered, mostly to herself.

 

“First things first, eat something,” he replied forcefully and pushed the plate of pastries towards her. Alec watched as she timidly grabbed something blindly from the plate and nibbled at it. He sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. “Look, I haven't lost anyone close since my mother died, and that was years ago. I can't imagine what you're going through. But I can see that you're in pain and I'd like to help.”

 

“I don't want more pity,” she told him shaking her head sadly.

 

“It's not pity. It's just worrying about another human being. You're going to kill yourself if you keep on like this,” he insisted.

 

She nodded and he considered the fact that he had been killing himself lately as well. Ignoring his heart condition wasn't going to make it go away, but Tess' betrayal on top of the Sandbrook case falling apart had broken him almost as thoroughly as Rose was over the death of her husband. Maybe that would help?

 

“I haven't really spoken to anyone about this, but misery loves company and all. I recognized the pattern of your behaviour because I've been on a similar path myself. I have a heart condition that I've been ignoring ever since Sandbrook,” he admitted.

 

“Sandbrook? I'm not really up on the news and stuff,” Rose told him.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry, they dragged it all out again with the case here recently, but I suppose you wouldn't have paid much attention to the media. Why did you choose Broadchurch?” he asked her.

 

“Wow, did any of those thoughts relate to each other at all?” Rose wondered and gave him the first hint of a smile that he'd seen from her since they sat down.

 

Alec laughed and decided that there was plenty to tell her about and maybe it would take her mind off of her morbid thoughts for a while. “Well, I guess the most pertinent place to start would be with what happened here in Broadchurch. A little over three months ago, Beth Latimer's son was found on the beach,” he began.

 

Rose gasped, “Oh my god! Was there an accident?”

 

“No, not exactly. He had been killed. I was the DI on the case and an investigation like that in a small town uncovers all kinds of things. Everyone's dirty laundry gets aired even if it has nothing to do with it. Just about tore the town apart, especially when we found out who was responsible. My DS at the time was Ellie Miller. She's working in Devon right now; it was too hard for her to stay here. Her husband had been meeting with Danny secretly and, according to his confession, when Danny said that he wanted to stop meeting, there was an argument. He ended up strangling Danny, then dumped his body on the beach,” Alec explained.

 

“Poor Beth. How old was Danny?” Rose asked.

 

“He was twelve,” he replied, thinking of the girls from Sandbrook as well as his own daughter.

 

“So, the man's in prison now, yeah? You said he confessed?” she confirmed.

 

“They still have to hold the formal hearing. We only arrested him about a week before you came. It took three months to finally crack the case and it nearly destroyed this community. The media were calling me the worst cop in Britain,” he told her.

 

“Because of that Sandbrook thing you mentioned?” Rose wondered.

 

“Yeah. My last case before I came here. It also involved kids being murdered. It all fell apart in court and my marriage fell apart along with it. I came here to get away from it all and just got pulled into everything,” he admitted.

 

“I'm sorry,” Rose said softly and grasped his hand.

 

“Now, I have a feeling that I've seen more of the real Rose Tyler in the last few minutes than has existed in the past 4 months,” Alec told her as he pointedly looked at the empty plate in front of her with a smirk.

 

Rose's mouth dropped open as she stared at the plate guiltily.

 

“Hey, none of that. I bought those for you, you needed it. And it's ok to think about something else once in a while, Tyler. Your husband wouldn't want you wasting away, I'm sure,” he insisted.

 

“I know. One of the last things he told me was to have a fantastic life,” she said, her throat closing around the words. He had just shared so much with her though, he deserved to know a little more about her situation as well. “Don't know how that's possible now.”

 

“How did you meet him?” he asked, trying to bring her thoughts back to a happier time in her life.

 

Rose smiled softly as she started into the distance in thought. “I was nineteen. Working in a shop late one night. These... troublemakers showed up in the basement and he rescued me. Took me travelling then. For two years, we went everywhere. When the Cybermen thing happened, we were separated. Thought I'd never see him again, but working with Torchwood gave me the resources I needed to find him. Got married right away after that. See, when we were together before, we were both too scared to admit our feelings for each other. It was all flirting and pretending everything was platonic. We didn't want to waste another minute once we were reunited.”

 

He nodded understandingly as she told her story. The Cybermen incident had affected a lot of people and most of them didn't get their family members back again. Rose was incredibly lucky, but something wasn't making sense.

 

“Why was the daughter of one of the richest men in Britain working in a shop?” he questioned.

 

“Well, I...” she began, but paused as she fiddled with her earring. It was a nervous gesture, as if she were hiding some big secret. “Don't suppose you're one to have read all the tabloids about it. When my dad started to make a name for himself, he sent me off to private school, so I wouldn't be overwhelmed by the media. He hid the fact that he even had a daughter. I only moved back to London after I was separated from the Doctor... I mean, John,” she told him.

 

“You called your husband, the Doctor?” he asked with a laugh.

 

“Yeah,” she replied with the biggest smile he'd seen from her yet. “That's what everyone called him. He was a bit of a scientist. Fancied himself an expert on everything.”

 

“Well, I'm certainly not a doctor, nor an expert on anything, but I'd like to be a friend. And maybe, together, we can manage not to kill ourselves for a little while longer?” Alec suggested.

 

“I think I'd like that. Thank you, Alec,” she responded with a soft smile. He cringed a bit at the use of his first name and she laughed, “Right, forgot. Last names with you, yeah?”

 

“Tell you what. And I don't do this with anyone else... I'll deal with it,” he grumbled.

 

Rose laughed again. “Alright. Hardy and Tyler to everyone else, but Alec and Rose when we're just us, yeah?”

 

“Sounds good. I haven't had any friends around here since Miller left. Now, it's getting a bit late, and we both have work tomorrow. So, would you like me to walk you home?” he asked hopefully.

 

“Nah, I'm fine on my own thanks. Lot safer walking at night here than most of the places I've been. But thank you for the talk, Alec. It helped more than you know,” she told him sincerely.

 

“For me too, Rose. I'm glad you're feeling better,” he said and was surprised when she hugged him tightly before leaving the coffee shop for home.

 

He stared at the spot she had been a moment before in shock. He hadn't expected her to hug him. She had never been so friendly with anyone that he had seen in her time here and yet, it was another one of those things that had been revealed in the last hour or so that they had been talking that seemed to suit her more than any of her other recent behaviours. He got the feeling that, when Rose Tyler was happy, she used to hug everyone.

 

Alec smiled inwardly when he realized that his plan to get Rose out of her pit of misery seemed to have worked perfectly. He placed their used dishes back up on the counter before leaving the coffee shop for home, more confident than he'd felt in quite some time.


	3. Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So glad people seem to like this story. I admit my Alec is a little less abrasive than some, but I saw him as being more broken and annoyed than just mean, so I hope this is a realistic portrayal. Please review! I really appreciate it!! Big thanks to my beta TheDoctorMulder!!!

Chapter 3 – Research

 

 

When Rose got home from having tea with Alec, she felt more alive than she had in months. There was something to focus on, maybe someone that she could help. Beth Latimer had asked to be her friend and she was hurting. Rose had also made a new friend in Alec. She was finding a place and a purpose.

 

So, while she did have work the next day and probably should have gone to bed, Rose turned on her computer and started learning everything she could about Danny Latimer and everything that had happened during the three months of the investigation.

 

Most of what she found came from the Broadchurch Echo since they were the closest to the people involved, Danny's body had been found on the beach, and it was quickly discovered that it was not an accident. Speculation flew wildly, even accusing his own father at one point.

 

It was obvious that everyone was desperate to blame someone as time went on and she was heartbroken to read about what happened with Jack Marshall. He was an older gentleman and in charge of a boys' club, called the Sea Brigade. Many years before, he had been convicted of having sex with a minor. She was only a few months from that not being an issue, but her parents made an example of him. He served his time and as soon as he was free, he married her. They had a child together, but after the boy died in a car accident, their marriage fell apart.

 

Rose knew only too well that age had no bearing on love. The fact that it was obviously a mutual love by the fact that they married later, made his suicide all the more painful. The people in the town had turned on him without learning the whole story. They accused him of being a pedophile and messing around with the boys in Sea Brigade. He drowned himself when the harassment became too much to bear. It was true what Alec said about the events almost destroying the whole community.

 

The investigation dragged. What information Rose couldn't find in the newspaper clippings, she found using some of Torchwood's systems. She still had access and could see the confidential police reports that way. They discovered that he had been killed in a rental cottage nearby and that his body had been placed in a boat to move it from the cottage to the beach. The killer burned the boat when they were afraid of being discovered, but traces of hair and fibres proved that Danny had been in it.

 

It was Danny's missing mobile that eventually brought them to the killer. Joe Miller had Danny's phone in his possession and turned it on, knowing that the police would track the signal. He had told DI Hardy that he was tired of hiding, when he confronted him.

 

It was only when Rose heard her alarm sounding on her mobile that she realized that she had stayed up all night. She didn't care though. For the first time in months, Rose felt like she had a purpose. So, she happily closed her laptop and had a quick shower before heading off to work.

 

She was in the break room when Alec arrived. She was slightly embarrassed by the fact that she was stuffing a donut into her mouth, but he only barely stifled a laugh. "Sorry," she mumbled through her mouthful.

 

"No, no, no. It's wonderful to see you eating something," he told her with a smile.

 

"I suppose," she said softly, returning the smile. She surprised him then by pulling him into a hug. "Thank you again. I looked up all the stuff about Danny last night. It must have been a nightmare to go through all of that."

 

"Aye, it was. Miller still hasn't convinced Tom to live with her. He's staying with his aunt. The Latimers, well, it's going to be while before they find any peace. If they ever do," he admitted sadly.

 

"I'm going to talk to Beth. We've both had a devastating loss, it might help her to have someone who understands to talk with," Rose informed him.

 

"I'm sure it would. Might not be a bad idea for you either," he added.

 

"Well, it isn't about me. I just want to help. That's what we did, yeah? The Doctor and I, we travelled all over and just helped people. I need to do that again," she told him and he could see how important it was to her that she make a difference in the lives of those around her.

 

"I'm sure Mrs. Latimer would really appreciate it," he replied.

 

Rose smiled brightly at his encouragement. They both fixed their tea and went to prepare their lectures for the day.

 

#######################

 

Alec Hardy felt his already problematic heart stutter at the sight of Rose's Earth shattering smile. He recalled something in those tabloids they had teased him about so long ago that praised the smiles of Rose Tyler, but he had never paid much attention to all of it and truthfully, a photo would never do it justice.

 

This might be a problem. He was supposed to be protecting her from all the idiots trying to get into her knickers, he wasn't supposed to become one of them. He took a deep breath and focussed on ideas to help Rose as her friend. He would be the friend that he promised to be and there was nothing saying that things might not progress between them later, after she had time to grieve and heal herself. At least he knew she found him physically attractive, since he looked just like her husband had.

 

_Focus, Hardy!_ He couldn't let his sudden desire for her ruin any friendship he was trying to develop. She needed to grieve. And they definitely needed to make sure that she knew  _him_ and didn't just see a copy of her husband in him. He didn't want to be someone's ghost.

 

#############################

 

Rose had looked up the address for the Latimer's house and after work, made her way over there. It actually wasn't far from her place. She climbed the steps and rang the bell, fidgeting nervously with the necklace she was wearing that held two wedding bands. Rose smiled at the young lady that answered the door.

 

“Hello, is Beth at home?” Rose asked, feeling like she was asking a playmate out to the park.

 

“Yeah, just a sec,” the blonde girl replied and shouted back into the house, “Mum!”

 

Beth appeared a moment later, placing a laundry basket down nearby. “Oh! Hello, Rose wasn't it?” she asked.

 

“Yeah. I was just wondering if you still wanted to go running sometime? Doesn't have to be right now, but I didn't have your number, and I don't live very far from here, so I thought I'd just stop by...” Rose rambled nervously.

 

“It's no problem. I was going to go a little bit later, but come on in for a few minutes,” Beth told her with a friendly smile. “Chloe, can you start the tea kettle for me, please?” she called to the girl who had answered the door earlier.

 

Chloe was going out with some friends for the evening and Mark wasn't home from work yet. So, Rose and Beth sat together for a while and just talked over tea.

 

“Are you feeling better now? I didn't really ask, but they said something about you not eating?” Beth questioned.

 

“Oh, I'll be alright, yeah? Just dealing with a lot you know? Of course, you know,” she added softly with a shake of her head.

 

“What happened?” Beth wondered.

 

“It's not really important. I just... I wanted you to know that I understand. I know you feel like maybe nobody really does, but I lost my husband a few months ago and I understand how empty you probably feel inside, losing someone so close to you. I didn't know about all the stuff that happened around here when I met you yesterday, but Hardy told me about it, and I looked it all up last night. I'd like to help, if I can,” Rose explained hesitantly. She knew what she wanted from the situation, but she also knew that Beth wouldn't want pity or a counsellor any more than she did herself.

 

“Oh my god, I didn't even recognize you! You're Rose Tyler from the tabloids. Vitex and all that, right?” Beth suddenly realized.

 

“Yeah. Came here to get away from the memories and stuff. Kinda wanted to start over, you know?” she replied softly. Rose stared into her tea cup as she thought about the Doctor again and their time saving the world here, as well as back in the other universe.

 

“I'm sorry about your husband. I think I remember seeing something in the papers about it. Right before all the stuff here happened, wasn't it?” she asked.

 

“Yeah. There was an accident at work. We were negotiating and I was supposed to protect everyone if they suddenly turned hostile, but I wasn't fast enough and John was shot,” Rose admitted. She didn't like to talk about it and really wanted this to be about Beth, but she knew that Beth wouldn't feel like Rose could really feel the same way unless she knew what had happened in Rose's life.

 

“I don't know what to do with myself most days. Tried going back to work, but I just get everyone staring, you know?” Beth told her.

 

Rose laughed mirthlessly. “Oh, I know only too well. John and I worked together, so going back there, I just kept expecting him to walk around the corner any minute. Every mission I went on, I felt like I had to fill the role of both of us, I had to make up for my mistake. If I had just been a little bit faster,” she told Beth and her hands started shaking.

 

“Hey,” Beth said softly and took hold of Rose's hands. “Let's go for a run, eh?”

 

Rose nodded and blinked back the tears that were threatening again. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”

 

##############################

 

A week had passed since having tea with Rose and Alec had watched as she seemed to return to eating and sleeping. At least enough that she wasn't obviously deprived. She smiled more often and engaged people in conversation from time to time.

 

He approached her after work on Monday. “Rose, I was wondering...” he trailed off as he watched her packing a few things from her locker into her bag.

 

“Yeah?” she asked and looked at him curiously.

 

“Would you like to go for tea again? Just to talk about... things,” Alec suggested awkwardly.

 

Rose laughed at his discomfort. “Sounds good, yeah? Did you wanna go now or were you thinking later on?” she asked.

 

“Umm, well, uh. Now is fine,” he stuttered and they walked to her car.

 

Rose drove them to the same coffee shop they had visited the week before. They once again got tea and pastries before sitting at a table in the back. Alec fidgeted nervously and tried to calm himself down. Rose was a friend. This wasn't a date. He didn't even want it to be until he knew that she was ready not only to move on to another relationship, but that she could truly separate him in her mind from her husband.

 

“You're looking much better now, Rose,” Alec told her sincerely.

 

“Thank you. I feel better, yeah? I've been running with Beth, although, I'm not sure how much longer she'll be able to run with the pregnancy. Might have to switch to walking pretty soon,” Rose told him.

 

“That's good. I remember when my ex-wife was pregnant, she had to really slow down her exercise routine,” he told her. Alec planned to share some of his past to establish himself as a truly separate person in her mind. He was very worried that she still wasn't really seeing _him._

 

“You have children?” she asked, surprised by the revelation.

 

“One, a daughter. Daisy is 15 now and lives with her mum,” he explained.

 

“John and I couldn't have kids. Some kind of genetic incompatibility that I never understood. Probably a good thing, I suppose,” she admitted sadly.

 

“I'm sorry to hear that,” he responded simply.

 

“You said that you separated from your wife recently, yeah?” Rose questioned, trying to bring the conversation back from the dark thoughts she was having.

 

“Aye. She was having an affair and when I found out about it, I didn't want Daisy to know that about her mother. So, I left. It was only about a year and a half ago now,” he admitted.

 

“Oh, Alec, that's awful. Why would she do that? You can't tell me she found someone more attractive,” Rose teased him.

 

He laughed in embarrassment, not believing that she really found someone like him physically attractive, despite ample proof to the contrary. “I dunno. We were both police officers and I guess work got in the way. She felt like I wasn't paying enough attention to her or something.”

 

Rose nodded in understanding. “It's difficult working with your spouse. It was a little easier for us, I suppose since we had been travelling together doing very similar work before we started with Torchwood. We were just happy to be back to a similar lifestyle.”

 

“Yes, well, it's hard to say exactly what happened. I suppose I was still hoping that she'd change her mind at some point still,” Alec told her.

 

“Well, without knowing what your relationship was like before, I'd have to say that I think you deserve better than waiting around for someone who betrayed you like that,” Rose said assuredly. She had an odd look on her face, as if she had some experience in that area, but it passed quickly and he didn't press her to say anything.

 

“You're probably right. Better than arguing all the time. My parents used to argue a lot. To my mother's dying day, they were fighting with each other. I don't want that for Daisy. Maybe it is best to let it be and move on,” he admitted.

 

“Absolutely. Handsome bloke like you, sure to find someone else in no time,” Rose told him with another Earth shattering smile.

 

“That would be nice,” he said softly and looked at her for a moment. He saw a flicker of something in her eyes, as if she realized that he was interested. But he looked away and the moment passed. “I certainly don't have as much trouble with people throwing themselves at me as you seem to,” he teased.

 

“Don't I know it,” Rose groaned and rolled her eyes. “The Doctor used to tease me about all the pretty boys following me around. When we were travelling, I'd often end up with someone flirting with me. Sometimes I'd flirt back, just to make the Doctor jealous because he didn't seem to be interested in becoming more with me. He'd start acting all protective and impressive, it was really funny.”

 

“I can imagine,” Alec responded with a warm smile.

 

“Of course, he almost always had some girl throwing herself at him too. It was like he didn't even notice most of the time and I just wanted to rip her hair out. He was always pushing me away, telling me I'd be safer at home or pretending that he wasn't interested. Really, he admitted later that he was just scared,” Rose informed him as she stared into the distance, lost in her memories for a moment.

 

Alec looked into her lovely brown eyes while she wouldn't notice him staring and wondered how any man would want to push her away. Sure, he was going slowly with her right now, because he knew how fragile she was from her recent loss, but to actively push her away seemed completely idiotic. Rose was like sunshine now that the clouds of depression were parting. It made him wish that there weren't so many complications in the way of a normal relationship progression at this point.

 

They chatted for a little longer about work before calling it an evening and parted ways at her car. She drove off towards home and Alec began the short walk back to his own place. He hadn't checked in with Claire recently, but she usually called him if she needed anything, so he dismissed that thought rather quickly.

 

He considered what she had told him about her past and thought about looking up her story. Then he realized that the media version was probably severely edited and decided to let her tell him about it in her own time.

 


	4. In Confidence

Chapter 4 – In Confidence

 

Rose and Beth continued running together through October, but between the changing of the seasons and Beth's growing baby, they decided to just meet for tea once a week after that. Rose enjoyed having someone to cry with once in a while and she was often Beth's shoulder to cry on as well. Mark wasn't around as often as she'd like and Beth often needed some company.

 

Meeting for tea also became a regular event for Rose with Alec. Every Monday, after work, they would go to the same coffee shop. They talked about work and gossip from around the town. Rose shared some of the unclassified missions that she had done with Torchwood. It was common knowledge that the organization took care of unusual and semi-military type situations that were often classified, so he knew better than to push for more details than she offered.

 

It was the end of November, during one of their teas, that Alec seemed to come to a decision. “Rose, can I tell you something, in confidence?” he asked quietly, watching their surroundings for anyone who might overhear.

 

“Sure, Alec, what is it?” she replied.

 

“Not here. Please don't take this the wrong way, but can we go to my place to discuss this?” he suggested with raised eyebrows.

 

“Of course,” she answered quickly and picked up her purse and jacket. She drove them, following his directions. They still had to walk a bit as there was no parking close to the tiny house on the water. He unlocked the door and gestured for her to precede him inside. Once inside, Rose looked around the small space with interest. It was filled with stuff, but it all looked like it may have come with the place rather than being personal items of the man before her.

 

“Can I get you anything?” he offered politely as he tossed his keys onto the nearby desk.

 

“No, thank you, I'm fine. What's this about, Alec?” she questioned and sat on the couch.

 

“I'd like your help with something. I need fresh eyes and a new perspective on this,” he began as he opened the desk drawer and pulled out a thick manila file folder and placed it on the coffee table in front of her. The label read, 'Sandbrook.'

 

“You're still trying to solve it?” she gasped and opened the folder carefully.

 

“Aye. Those families deserve to know what happened. They deserve to have someone convicted. And it's my fault that they didn't get that the first time,” he told her frustratedly.

 

“Ok. I'll go through these details and see what I can come up with, but why don't you give me the overall story first?” Rose suggested, taking his hand supportively.

 

“Alright. There were two girls, cousins. Lisa Newbery, 19, was babysitting for her 12-year-old cousin Pippa. Pippa's parents went away for the night to a friend's wedding. When they came back the next day, both girls were gone. The 12-year-old, Pippa, her body was found three days later. The 19-year-old, Lisa... officially she's still missing. Our main suspect was a man called Lee Ashworth but he had a solid alibi. His wife, Claire told us that she was with Lee all night. But she keeps changing her story and after the trial fell apart, she asked me to protect her from him,” Alec explained.

 

“And what did you do to protect her?” Rose wondered.

 

“I've got her set up in a house on the edge of town. As far as she knows, I'm just keeping her protected as a witness, but honestly, I think she's involved. She's a suspect and I don't want her taking off. But no one can know she's here,” he admitted.

 

“No wonder you're holed up in this place,” Rose teased, knowing that his salary should be able to cover a better place to live than where they were currently sitting.

 

Alec laughed slightly at her attempt to ease the tension in the room.

 

“Of course I'll help, Alec. Did you want me to help with Claire, talk with her, or something?” Rose asked him.

 

“No. No, she is a suspect in a murder case and I don't want to put you anywhere near her if I can help it. I just need some help going over the evidence and finding out what I've missed,” he explained.

 

Rose frowned slightly at his insistence to keep her away from anything he deemed too dangerous. He reminded her of her first Doctor, really, despite his resemblance to her second. It wasn't a case of mixing them up, just similar personality quirks in some ways. The brooding, protective guard dog, attitude was familiar to her and comfortable, even if she didn't like being kept in a glass case. She would do it his way for now, but she was sure that she could find a way to be more involved as time went on.

 

“Alright. Did you want to go over these with me or shall I take them home to have a look at it?” she questioned.

 

“Why don't you take it with you? I don't want to sway your opinion of things by giving you my thoughts right away. We can discuss it after you've had a chance to look at it all,” he suggested.

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Rose agreed as she gathered the papers that had spilled from the edges of the file and placed the whole thing into her bag. “Thank you for trusting me with this, Alec. I really do want to help.”

 

“I know. I've been at this for close to two years now. The stress is really affecting my heart condition,” he admitted with a sigh.

 

“You, take care of yourself. I'm going to take a look at all of this and I'm sure that we can figure out what happened, so the girls' families can get some closure and the people responsible are held accountable,” Rose told him, gathering her things.

 

“I... thank you,” he said and nervously pulled her into a hug.

 

She had hugged him numerous times, it was just something that she did with everyone, but he had never initiated the action. She tensed in surprise at first, but quickly returned the gesture. The feel of his arms around her was somehow both achingly familiar and painfully different at the same time. He was warmer than her husband and smelled different. The Doctor had smelled of tea and old books and something she just thought of as time. Alec smelled clean, of soap and a pleasant aftershave, as well as a comforting smell that was simply him. He didn't lean his cheek on top of her head the way the Doctor always did, but he did lower his head onto her shoulder as their hug lasted a little longer than normal.

 

They pulled away and Rose looked at him curiously. He seemed unsure of himself and she wondered slightly what was making him so nervous around her all of a sudden. They had been friends for two months and he usually seemed quite comfortable around her.

 

“Don't thank me yet. We have to see if I can find anything first,” she replied and gave him a small wave as she left to walk back to her car.

 

When she got home, Rose spread out everything from the file folder on her kitchen table. This wasn't the kind of problem solving that she was used to. With the Doctor, they were there for the action, saved who they could and then left the aftermath to everyone else. This was the aftermath. There was no one to save, the girls were already gone. But the killer was still free and the parents had no idea what really happened. So, while she wasn't used to this, she was adamant that somehow she would find the answers.

 

She spread everything out and put them in chronological order. Then stared at it all for about an hour, waiting for some important fact to jump out at her. Everyone had an alibi, but he had told her that Claire had changed her story. How many of the other alibis might change? Something else wasn't sitting right in her mind, so Rose decided to look up whatever she could find from the media as well to add to her pile of papers.

 

She was surprised to find an article from the Broadchurch Echo that was published recently. In it, Alec had admitted that it wasn't him that had lost Pippa Gillespie's pendant, but one of the other officers on the case. The officer wasn't named, but it did state that the evidence was stolen from her car while parked at a hotel. She checked the case file again and found the names of the officers involved in the case. His wife, Tess Henchard, was one of them. Alec had told her that his wife was cheating on him, and at another point had said that somehow this case had destroyed his marriage. Rose could see quite clearly that those dots connected to his wife cheating at the exact time that the evidence was stolen. He told her that he didn't want Daisy finding out about what her mother had done. She realized that he had taken the blame for the pendant being lost to protect his ex-wife and child's reputations. And it was tearing him apart.

 

Rose decided that she couldn't focus on the actual case anymore with this revelation about her friend. She packed up all of the papers again and tucked them safely away for the time being. She didn't want anyone else to run across them, even though she almost never had visitors.

 

It was very late, but Rose couldn't help herself. She sent Alec a text message to ask, 'She was cheating while the pendant was stolen from her car, wasn't she?'

 

She paced the room, thinking about how much this case really did break him completely. It was not only heart wrenching in content, but the surrounding events destroyed his marriage, his relationship with his daughter and his career. She didn't know the extent of his heart condition, but it was enough to force him off of active duty, so it had to be pretty bad. Her phone chimed to indicate a text message.

 

'Yes. I hope no one else puts those pieces together as easily as you did,' she read on the screen.

 

'It was partially some things you said to me. It isn't all from reading. You were generous to take the blame for her,' Rose replied.

 

She waited for a few minutes, but there was no further reply. Rose decided to leave it for the time being and went to bed.

 

############################

 

After Rose left for the evening, Alec chastised himself for his behaviour. He had decided to trust Rose with helping him solve Sandbrook. She wanted to help people and this would help him as well as Lisa and Pippa's parents. It would also get the killer behind bars once and for all. What he hadn't planned on was how he would feel being alone with her in his house.

 

She was so close and so intelligent, beautiful, compassionate, and ... close. He had hugged her. Hugged her for far longer than would be considered normal for platonic friends. But he found that she felt so wonderful in his arms. He could smell her strawberry shampoo and perfume, both fading after a day at work. He had to force himself to let her go afterward, but he hadn't intended to push the boundaries of their relationship yet.

 

Alec was fairly sure at this point that Rose didn't see her husband when she looked at him. He knew, from what she had told him, that there were fairly significant differences in their demeanour. She knew a lot about his life now, from their long, friendly conversations. Two months of friendship had established a good rapport between them. But her husband had died less than six months ago and it still felt too soon to be pushing her for a romantic relationship.

 

He had been lost in his thoughts for some time before he heard his phone chime. The text message from Rose had shocked him. If she could figure out that it had been his ex-wife that was responsible for leaving the evidence available in her car to be stolen, who else might fit the pieces together? He replied honestly, another secret shared with her.

 

Rose's answering text was a relief. Her deduction had come from his honesty in telling her about Tess' infidelity ahead of time. The fact that Rose seemed to praise him for protecting his ex-wife only confirmed her unending well of compassion even more. The woman seemed capable of forgiving others for almost anything.

 

Forgiving herself was another matter. He knew from their conversations that she blamed herself for the accident that had killed her husband. He didn't know all of the details of that, but it was a stone around her neck that was practically tangible. And he wanted to find a way to give her the forgiveness that she handed out so freely. Alec resolved to ask her about the accident as soon as possible.

 

He spent the rest of the night tossing and turning as he wondered what signal he might get from her that she was ready for a new relationship of the romantic variety, or even that she wanted anything like that with him.


	5. Happy Holidays

Chapter 5 – Happy Holidays

 

 

Rose spent the rest of the week pouring over the case files and trial transcripts to learn everything she could about Sandbrook before she discussed anything with Alec. She updated him on her progress briefly at work as the days went on, but they didn't get together privately to discuss it until the following Sunday.

 

She invited him over to her house, so that they would have more room on her table, but still have privacy to discuss the sensitive details. Rose prepared lunch for them to share and was just finishing up with the salad when she heard a knock on the door.

 

She was surprised to see him in jeans and a t-shirt. He always wore a suit to work and even her husband who had looked like him, always wore a suit. Jeans were just not on her radar. When he entered the house, she couldn't help but glance at his bum in the tight denim.

 

"Come on in. I've got lunch ready and we can discuss things while we eat," she told him.

 

Alec nodded as he looked around the place curiously. "This is a very nice place. Are you renting it?" he asked.

 

"No. My dad bought it for me. Couldn't stop him really and he was the one to set up the job here too once I told him that I needed to get out of London for a while," Rose explained.

 

"Remind me to thank him sometime," Alec replied.

 

Rose wondered briefly if her parents would ever meet her husband's doppelgänger. Would they ever have reason to? She shrugged off the idea and placed their meal on the table.

 

"So, what do you think?" he asked with a nod toward the pile of papers related to Sandbrook.

 

"It wasn't your fault, Alec. I know you blame yourself, but it really wasn't your fault. And I don't think it's just about the pendant either. Yes, that would have helped, but there's got to be more than that," Rose replied supportively.

 

"Aye, but that was the most we could find at the time and it would have confirmed that Pippa had been in Ashworth's car that night," he told her.

 

"Ok, can I ask what it is you're hoping to gain by having Claire here, other than keeping her from running?" she wondered.

 

"I'm hoping that Lee comes looking for her. Claire knows something and if Lee comes snooping around, she might just panic enough to let something slip," he admitted.

 

"Are you sure you don't want me to talk to her, try and persuade her to tell me her secrets?" Rose suggested.

 

"Definitely not. I told you, she is dangerous. There are other ways," he argued.

 

"Fine," she pouted and crossed her arms.

 

“Look, Rose, I know that you have experience with this sort of thing and you are training people even in diplomacy. I understand that. But you're my friend and once I start trying to prosecute Claire and Lee, they are going to get rather upset with me and I don't want you in the middle of that,” he explained.

 

“If I'm helping you with this, then I'm going to be involved, Alec. The Doctor used to try and send me away when things got dangerous and it usually just made things worse,” she warned him.

 

“I know that we are supposed to be discussing the case, but I was wondering if you'd tell me about the accident?” he asked her softly.

 

Rose stiffened slightly at his request. It had been nearly six months, but she thought that it would likely always be painful to talk about it. “Umm, alright. You know that we deal with some experimental technologies and stuff in Torchwood, yeah?” she began and at his nod, continued, “Well, I was responsible for handling this sort of portable forcefield thing. We were negotiating with some refugees. We didn't want to scare them off, so we kept everything powered down. I had to be ready though, in case they panicked and turned hostile. My husband was the only one of our group that could speak their language, so he was talking with them. One of the younger men got scared and pulled his gun. But I wasn't fast enough to get the shield up and he was shot.” Her voice was breaking by the end and a few tears escaped her eyes.

 

Alec moved around the table to sit next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked,” he said.

 

“No. No, it's alright. It's been almost six months now, you'd think I could at least talk about it,” she replied and wiped her face.

 

“Rose, how much testing did that device have beforehand?” he asked sincerely.

 

“R and D said it worked perfectly,” she answered with a shrug.

 

“And how much training did you get on it before going out in the field with it?” he questioned.

 

“It didn't need much training. There was a big button to turn it on and off and I tried it out a few times. I just fumbled it when I should have been ready, Alec. All of our lives were in danger and I messed up. It cost me my husband. The man I spent years searching for and loved more than anything in the universe died because of me, Alec,” she told him angrily.

 

“Listen to me, Rose. It was not your fault. You didn't pull the trigger. You or your husband didn't provoke the attack and even if you had pushed the button a little faster, what's to say this thing would have powered up fast enough to make a difference?” he responded as he held her shoulders tightly and met her gaze.

 

Rose looked at the floor between them and shrugged.

 

“Look, if you don't want me blaming myself for Sandbrook falling apart, then you can't keep blaming yourself for not acting fast enough in a dangerous situation. But we're both likely to continue with those self-recriminations anyway, so let's just agree to try to be less self-destructive as a result, ok?” he suggested teasingly.

 

“S'pose,” she agreed quietly.

 

“Alright, let's get back to it then. If we're going to help these families, then we need to get to work,” he declared and began to clear the dishes from the table.

 

They spent the rest of the evening going over the information and while Rose now knew as much as Alec did about it all, they weren't any closer to solving the mystery. Rose stood up and stretched as she paced the room a few times.

 

“I don't think we're going to manage much more with this tonight. Why don't I walk you home, then I can run back and get some adrenaline flowing?” Rose suggested.

 

“Umm, yeah sure, that would be nice. You don't have to walk me home,” he told her.

 

“I know, but if I'm going to run anyway, might as well pick a direction,” she replied.

 

“Isn't it a little cold for running?” he asked.

 

“Well, I only had to stop running with Beth because of her pregnancy, and there's no ice outside. Long as I dress warm enough, no problem,” she said as she pulled on her trainers.

 

They walked at a comfortable pace for Alec, but didn't talk much on the way. The air was quite cool, but that was to be expected in December. When they reached Alec's house, they stopped briefly outside.

 

“I'm going to be visiting my family for the holidays. Will you be going anywhere?” Rose asked him.

 

“No, not really,” he replied.

 

“Well, it'll only be a few days, yeah?” she told him. “Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Goodnight, Rose. Thank you again for your help,” he said and went inside.

 

Rose took the scenic route home for her run as she considered Alec's recent behaviour with her. He was really quite grumpy and unfriendly with most of the other staff at work. And the stories that she heard about him from the time of the investigation into Danny Latimer's death, made him sound completely rude. But with her, he had been friendly, courteous and supportive. If she didn't know better she'd say... No. Her mind stuttered at the thought. Was Alec interested in her?

 

She would have to watch more closely to decide if he was angling to change their relationship, but what did she want? Was she ready for someone to take the place of the Doctor in her heart? How long was long enough to wait? Was there a standard time to grieve before moving on? Rose thought about what her husband would want. All he ever wanted was for her to be happy. She wouldn't forget him and she would never stop loving him or the other Doctor back in her home universe. But did that mean that she couldn't have someone else in her life?

 

During their next interactions, Rose decided that she would watch Alec for signs that he was interested in a deeper relationship with her. She knew that he would probably hold back for fear that he was pushing her too quickly, but she'd had enough of that with the Doctor. Time was precious and Rose was past wasting it for useless reasons.

 

#############################

 

Rose spent the next couple of weeks watching Alec's behaviour until she was positive that he was interested in starting a relationship with her. Unfortunately, there was the complication of the fact that he looked exactly like her husband had. The media in London would have a field day. Not to mention the fit her mother would throw over this.

 

“No, mum. I am not bringing a date to the Vitex party six months after my husband has died. Everyone will understand why I'm there on my own,” Rose argued over the phone.

 

“If you're sure, sweetheart. When are you coming down?” Jackie asked.

 

“Saturday. I'll leave in the morning and be there in plenty of time to spend the weekend. I'm coming back Boxing Day though. I don't want to spend too long away,” she replied.

 

“Well, that's not bad. More days off than your father ever takes,” her mother grumbled and it sounded like she might have said it loud enough for Pete to hear the complaint as well.

 

“I'll see you soon, yeah?” Rose told her.

 

“Alright. Take care, sweetheart,” Jackie said and ended the call.

 

Rose stared at her phone for a few minutes, lost in thought. Finally, she made a decision and dialled Alec's number.

 

“Hardy,” he answered.

 

“Hi, Alec, it's Rose,” she greeted him brightly.

 

“What can I do for you, Rose?” he asked.

 

“I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind that is, if you wanted to come over on Friday so we could sort of celebrate Christmas before I go to London? It's just that I'm leaving on Saturday and it would be nice, I thought, if you got to celebrate with someone and you said that you weren't getting together with your family or anything...” Rose rambled nervously into her mobile.

 

“Rose, slow down,” he laughed. “That sounds lovely. Did you want me to bring anything?” he questioned.

 

“No! No, it's fine. I mean, it's just dinner for the holidays, yeah?” she replied.

 

“Alright, I'll see you then,” he answered and they both said their goodbyes.

 

Rose let out a sigh as she collapsed onto the couch. This wasn't supposed to be that hard.

 

##################################

 

Friday came quickly and Alec found himself standing on Rose's front porch with a bottle of wine in hand and a Christmas present hidden in his pocket as he rang the bell. When he had gone to the Miller's for dinner, he hadn't known what was appropriate to bring his hosts, but he was fairly sure that he would give too forward an impression if he brought flowers or chocolates this time. So, he had opted for just the wine and a small present.

 

Rose answered the door and his poor, ailing heart skipped a beat. She was wearing the most unbelievable red dress that he had ever seen. She smiled brightly upon seeing him and opened the door wide to welcome him inside.

 

“Oh, you didn't have to bring wine, Alec, but thank you,” she said as she took the bottle and hung his coat on the hook by the door.

 

“Well, I couldn't come completely empty handed when you went to all the trouble of handling dinner,” he told her. Rose grinned brightly and poked her tongue between her teeth teasingly.

 

“It's no trouble. I like to cook. Never get to do it at mum's and the big parties are all catered,” she explained.

 

They shared the small feast that she had prepared and talked animatedly about all sorts of topics. Her laughter lifted his spirits in a way that he hadn't felt since happier days, before Sandbrook had broken him completely. Rose repeatedly reached to touch his arm or hand throughout the meal. If he didn't already know that she was an extremely tactile person, he would have guessed that she was flirting.

 

Both of them were sipping wine when they moved to sit in the living room. Alec suddenly felt extremely nervous about the present that he had bought for her. It was a small present, but what if she hadn't expected to exchange gifts? He would still want her to have it, but would she feel pressured then to get something for him?

 

“I, umm, I got you something,” Rose interrupted his internal argument.

 

“Oh! I, well, I got you something too,” he replied with a smile.

 

Rose smiled at him with her tongue stuck between her teeth and leaned over to pull a small, wrapped package from beneath her little tree. Her legs stretched before him tantalizingly as she reached for it and he had to tamp down his desire to test if they were as silky smooth as they looked. At the same time, he pulled the gift from his pocket.

 

“You go first,” Rose said excitedly as she handed him the little box, wrapped in gold paper.

 

He opened it carefully and was pleased to see a very nice tie clip inside. It was gold and had a small blue stone set into it. “Thank you, Rose. This is very, very nice,” he told her sincerely. He could see her smile brighten immediately at his praise. “Your turn.”

 

Rose accepted the cylindrical package with a grin and shook it playfully. It didn't make any sound that would give away the surprise, so she tore into the red patterned paper. He had found a superb blend of Lavender Earl Grey tea and thought she would appreciate it. Rose went so far as to open the top of the tin and smelled it.

 

“Oh, Alec, that's lovely! Thank you, so much!” Rose sighed and placed the lid back on the tin. She moved both of their presents onto the coffee table and sat facing him closely on the couch.

 

Alec fidgeted a bit as he considered what to say next, but Rose took him completely by surprise when she suddenly pulled him towards her by the lapels of his jacket and pressed her lips to his. When he didn't immediately protest, she snogged him for all he was worth. He knew that he should pull away. This had to be too soon. But then Rose stroked her tongue across the seam of his lips and he opened his mouth to allow her entrance as his mind when blissfully blank.

 


	6. Following Instincts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where I earn the rating for this story... hope you like it.

Chapter 6 – Following Instincts

 

 

Rose climbed into Alec's lap as he struggled for some vestige of conscious thought. He was pressed against the back of the couch and she was tugging at his tie as she unbuttoned his shirt. The delicious feeling of Rose's lips on his and her warmth pressing against his erection made instinct take over and he pulled her hips tighter against his with a groan.

 

Rose gave up on the buttons and yanked his shirt open, sending several of the little pieces of plastic flying around the room. Her mouth moved to his exposed neck, where she sucked hard enough to leave a mark.

 

“Rose, what? Are you..? We shouldn't...” he tried to argue once his mouth was free, but his hands seemed to have other ideas as half of him tried to push her away, but the other half revelled in the feel of her body against his.

 

“Yes, we should,” she mumbled against his skin and ground her hips against his harder.

 

He lost all hope of stopping this with her actions driving him on and instead stroked his hands up her thighs, which were indeed just as silky as he imagined, and under her dress. His breath stuttered when he found that she hadn't been wearing any knickers all evening. “You're trying to kill me, woman,” he groaned and squeezed her naked backside appreciatively.

 

Rose grasped the hem of her red dress and pulled it up over her head, tossing it behind her playfully. She was left wearing only a black lace bra as she sat in Alec's lap. His tie hung loosely around his neck and his shirt was ripped open. He hadn't even removed his suit jacket. Deciding that she had far too big a lead over him in the undressing department, Alec began to shed some of his layers. Rose assisted him eagerly while she pulled him down the hallway towards her bedroom.

 

Within minutes, they both tumbled onto her bed. Alec was clad only in his black boxer briefs and Rose was still wearing her bra, but each of them were working to remedy that. He immediately latched onto one of her nipples as soon as he revealed them and gasped as her hand wrapped around his erection. He growled at her as he continued to suck on her lovely breasts and thrust himself into her hand.

 

Rose groaned sensually and rolled onto her back, urging him on top of her. He put his legs either side of hers and entwined their fingers as he continued to lick and suck on her breasts. She managed to free one hand enough to reach into her bedside table drawer and pull out an unopened box of condoms.

 

He looked at it a moment before looking into her eyes and asking, “Are you sure?”

 

She nodded and tore into the box, handing him one of the little packets. It had been some time since he'd used one, so it took him what felt like an eternity to get it in place. Rose spread her legs wide in invitation and he looked into her eyes warily.

 

“Please, Alec. Please,” she whispered and pulled him down into a kiss.

 

He hummed in acceptance and positioned himself at her entrance. Rose's legs wrapped around his hips and he slid into her easily. Alec couldn't contain his moan at the blissful feeling of being inside her. It had been too long since he'd been with anyone and he had wanted Rose almost from the moment that he met her.

 

Rose whispered his name as she kissed his shoulders and neck, her fingers scraping across the back of his shoulders. He could barely conceive that this was real as he thrust into her with as much force as he could muster. His lungs began to struggle with the exertion and Rose seemed to notice it instantly. She flipped them over so that she was on top of him and he watched her hungrily as she moved above him.

 

Thankful for the chance to slow down slightly, he tried to hold himself back from finishing too quickly. He pressed his thumb against her clit and circled the hardened nub with firm strokes. Rose threw her head back and groaned in pleasure. She shuddered suddenly and fell forward to wrap her arms around him through her orgasm. Alec allowed himself to follow her quickly as her internal muscles massaged him to his own release inside of her.

 

They were both breathing heavily when she rolled off of him. Rose gazed at him with a soft smile. She didn't seem to regret their actions, but he was still confused as to what it all meant. That would have to wait though as he felt a tightening pain across his chest.

 

“Pills,” he gasped and her face turned from blissfulness to worry.

 

“Where?” she asked urgently.

 

“Trousers,” he managed to tell her as he tried to sit up, but she pressed him back into the pillow and ran to check his pockets. She returned a few seconds later with the blister pack of pills and dashed into her en suite to get a glass of water for him.

 

He gulped down the pills and water greedily before collapsing back onto the bed. Rose climbed back to his side and stroked his arm.

 

“Are you alright?” she asked nervously.

 

“Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Just need a minute,” he told her between breaths.

 

“I'm sorry. I didn't realize...” she began but trailed off.

 

“No, no, don't worry,” he assured her. “But, Rose, what's this all about? You can't possibly be ready for something like this now,” he asked.

 

“What do you mean, what's this all about? I can see that you're interested, Alec. Don't try to tell me you're not,” she argued.

 

“Of course I'm bloody interested, Rose. Every man within a hundred yards of you is interested, but you can't be ready for any kind of relationship right now,” he replied frustratedly.

 

Rose glared at him angrily. “And who is supposed to decide when I'm ready? Some arbitrary time limit? You? My mother? The media? How about we get out a Ouija board and ask my dead husband who told me to have a fantastic life when he thinks I should be ready not to be alone anymore?” she shouted and grabbed her robe as she ran from the room in tears.

 

Alec sighed despondently and pressed his hands against his eyes. He just had to go and fuck it up, didn't he? Why couldn't anything in his life go smoothly for once? He gathered his clothes from where they had been tossed on the floor after disposing of the condom in the loo. Rose was drinking a cup of tea and staring at the twinkle lights on her tiny tree when he returned to the living room.

 

“Rose, I...” he began.

 

“Just go, Alec,” she interrupted sharply without turning to look at him.

 

He sighed again at her refusal to allow him to apologize. He grabbed his coat from the hook in the front hall and left the house feeling like the arsehole everyone always accused him of being.

 

################################

 

Rose stormed from the bedroom in a furious rage. She knew that he would be hesitant to start anything himself and had been as understanding and encouraging as she could as things progressed. But to have him demand that she couldn't possibly be ready for another relationship now was just too much. Who was he to make that decision for her? It would be bad enough having the media questioning everything once they found out about it, she didn't need a lack of support from him as well.

 

She made herself a cup of tea as she heard him cleaning himself up in her room. Sitting back on the couch where she had started the whole thing, she stared at her little Christmas tree despondently. Where had it all gone wrong? Alec had been her saviour from the moment she met him here in Broadchurch. And somehow, she had managed to destroy everything in one fell swoop.

 

Rose heard him enter the room, but didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't bare to see his disgust at her ability to supposedly forget the Doctor so quickly. Why couldn't he see that it wasn't like that at all?

 

“Rose, I...” Alec said, trying to apologize, no doubt.

 

“Just go, Alec,” she snapped, letting him off the hook to try and make her feel better.

 

Rose heard him gather his coat and close the front door behind him as she stared at the little box on the table containing the tie clip that she had given him. She wondered briefly if he had left it behind on purpose, forgotten about it, or didn't feel like he deserved the gift anymore. The part of her mind that always bred self-doubt and anger told her that it was the first, even though her rational mind told her that it was most likely the last.

 

She sat there, brooding, for another hour before her phone chimed that she had received a text message. She picked it up and saw that it was from Alec.

 

'I know you're angry with me. I'm sincerely very sorry for my behaviour. Please be safe on your trip,' he wrote.

 

She didn't answer the text as her tears started to flow in earnest. Rose knew that she should clean up everything from dinner before going to bed, but she returned to her bedroom and tumbled onto the mattress as sobs wracked her body. She eventually fell into an exhausted sleep as the nightmares of the accident returned in force.

 

The next morning, Rose felt like she had been hit by a train. She had packed her bags the day before, slightly hoping that she would be waking next to Alec. She stumbled into the kitchen to face the mess of dishes that she had neglected to deal with the night before. With a frustrated groan, she set the coffee maker to start and began stuffing the plates into the dishwasher.

 

As she went through her tasks, Rose decided that it would be safest if she took a zeppelin to London rather than driving herself. She sent a text message to her mother to let her know that she might be later than expected and continued in her attempts to make the house acceptable to leave. Once the dishwasher was running and all of the larger pans were washed and put away, Rose showered and dressed in comfortable clothes.

 

She locked up the house and as she sat in her car for a moment, she decided to send Alec one text message before leaving, 'Taking the zeppelin to London. Back on the 26th, maybe we can talk then?'

 

She waited for a moment and his reply came quickly, 'You can call me anytime, but I do hope to see you when you get back. I am sorry. Safe travels.'

 

Rose allowed herself a small smile at his eagerness to speak with her about it and tucked the phone into her purse as she started the car and drove to the airport. Several days with her mother could be a blessing or a curse, only time would tell.


	7. Home for the Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!! I've got some really interesting ideas as we lead up to the actual start of season 2, so I hope you'll stick with me! Please review!! Huge thanks goes to my awesome beta reader, TheDoctorMulder!!!

Chapter 7 – Home for the Holidays

 

 

The Vitex holiday party was on Christmas Eve. She had been visiting with her parents and little brother for a couple of days already. They were very happy to see her, to see that she was eating again and that she looked much healthier than she had when she left London. Jackie had been beside herself when the hospital had called after she collapsed, but she had trusted the nurse's assurance that Rose would be taken care of in Broadchurch.

 

Rose was wearing the same red dress that she wore on Friday. The memory of their argument still stung, but Alec's insistence at seeing her when she got back made her believe that just maybe, she hadn't destroyed everything after all. The party felt so different from the last several years; different from those years that she had been here with her husband. It felt more like the time she had been stranded here before the stars went out. She missed him terribly, ached for him every day. But right now, she really wished that Alec were here with her. She felt a little bit guilty about that, but not as much as she thought she would.

 

“Penny for your thoughts,” came the voice of Pete, interrupting her mental ramble.

 

“Oh! Just, uh, thinking about Broadchurch,” Rose replied quickly.

 

“You like it there then?” he asked curiously.

 

“Yeah, yeah, it's great. Thank you for arranging it all for me. I've made some friends and I really like it there,” she told him honestly.

 

“So, what were those deep thoughts all about, then?” Pete pressed with a raised brow.

 

“I... well, I have this... really great friend there. Met him the first day of work and he's been really supportive. Got me back into the real world, you know?” Rose began.

 

“That's fantastic, sweetheart, but I have a feeling there's more to it than that?” he replied knowingly.

 

“Yeah, well, I know he's interested in me, so I decided to kind of give it a try. But then, he said that it was too soon for me and I couldn't possibly be ready to move on yet. I just... I just feel like it's not really moving on. I'll always love the Doctor and I'll always miss him, but that doesn't mean that I have to be all alone, does it?” Rose asked, frustrated by her inability to really explain herself.

 

“Other people will always have their opinions, Rose. Opinions about what your relationships should be like. Take my first Jackie, we were hiding our divorce for the sake of the media. They'll say it's too soon. They'll say you're forgetting him already. But the truth is, it isn't about them. It's about you. I know that the Doctor loved you, both of them did. And all he ever wanted was for you to be happy, Rose. If you've found someone that can help you be happy, even without the Doctor, then I think he must be very special,” Pete assured her supportively.

 

“Thanks, Pete. I'm glad someone understands,” Rose responded with a small smile.

 

“So, why isn't he here with you, so we can meet this... _friend_ of yours?” Pete teased.

 

“Couple reasons really. First, being that we fought about whether I was ready for a relationship right before I left to come here. Second, is the far bigger and far scarier reason with regard to you and mum, and the media. Believe me please when I tell you that it has nothing to do with the reasons that I want to have a relationship with him. He knows about it and he's OK with it and...” Rose babbled and her speech became faster with every word.

 

“Slow down, Rose, what is it?” Pete question in confusion.

 

“Alec looks like the Doctor,” she admitted quietly.

 

Pete blinked a couple of times in shock. “When you say looks like..?” he began.

 

“Like Rickey and Mickey, like the two Jackies, like you and my real dad,” Rose explained. “But he doesn't act like him. Not at all. He isn't a parallel Doctor and he's completely different in every other way, but he looks exactly like him physically. The media will never understand,” Rose told him and shook her head worriedly.

 

“I”m glad you told me about it before the media caught wind of it. Let's talk about this more before you go back tomorrow, alright?” Pete suggested.

 

“Yeah. Thank you for understanding, Pete,” she replied gratefully and gave him a hug before he went back to visit with people at the party.

 

The next morning, Tony woke everyone bright and early to open presents. Once again, Rose was reminded of the years before her husband had joined them in the parallel universe as she sat on the sofa by herself, watching her family enjoy the holiday.

 

“Happy Christmas, sweetheart,” Jackie said as she sat down beside Rose and gave her a hug.

 

“Happy Christmas, mum,” she replied.

 

“Rose, Pete told me what you said last night. About meeting someone. And I wanted you to know that I think it's wonderful that you have new friends. You know how hard it was for me after your dad died, to find anyone that I could really connect with. The Doctor would want this for you,” she told her daughter reassuringly.

 

“Thanks, mum. I think so too. I really miss him, you know? I wish... I wish that I could talk to him, just one more time,” Rose replied shakily and a few tears escaped her eyes.

 

Jackie seemed to be lost in an internal struggle before coming to a decision. “Sweetheart, I wasn't sure it was a good idea really, but the Doctor knew that your lives were dangerous and he left something with me a few years ago. Said it was just in case, or whatever, but I can see now why he did,” she said.

 

“What is it?” Rose wondered as she wiped her damp cheeks.

 

“Some little computer thingy. Wait here, I'll get it for you,” Jackie insisted and left the room. She returned a few minutes later with some kind of small device, about the size and shape of a coaster, but slightly thicker. “I hope it helps, love,” she said as she handed the disk to her daughter.

 

“Thank you, mum. I'll just...” Rose replied. She took the disk carefully and stood to find a private place. Jackie nodded at her with a supportive smile.

 

It was a little too cold outside to sit in the garden, so Rose went up to the bedroom that she used whenever she visited and sat on the bed. She spun the little device around in her hands for a moment and looked at it. There was a big, red button on it that obviously activated whatever it would do. She smiled fondly at his love of big, red buttons and realized that he must have made this himself.

 

Rose figured that it must be some little recorder of some kind and bolstered herself to face the message he had left for her. Her mum had said that he gave it to her a couple of years ago, so he had prepared for the worst a while back.

 

Taking a deep breath, she pressed the button. Her heart stuttered a moment when she saw the little hologram of her husband. It reminded her painfully of both Emergency Programme One and that horrible first time at Bad Wolf Bay. The image of the Doctor smiled sadly before he began talking.

 

“ _Hello, Rose. If you're watching this, then something has happened to me and I'm not with you anymore. I left this with your mum because I trust her to know when you'll need it. There are a few things I think you'll need to hear if I'm not there. First and foremost is that I love you. I've loved you from the start, you know that now and you know that the other Doctor in our home universe will love you for centuries to come. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to send you back to him. So, here's the other things that you need to hear. Help people. It's what you do best, love. Share that compassionate spirit of yours with the world. Please try to smile again. Your incredible smile could light up entire galaxies, so don't let it disappear forever. And make new friends. Find more hands to hold. It was so hard for me when you were gone, to accept other people travelling with me. But you can, Rose. And you should. I want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you. So, do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life. I love you.”_ The hologram froze as he smiled at the end of the message.

 

Rose wasn't sure exactly when the tears had started to fall, but they must have been flowing for a while considering the size of the wet patch on her sleeve. He was right. It was exactly what she needed to hear. She tucked the little device into her bag and gathered all of her things. She was going back to Broadchurch today and she resolved to fix everything with Alec as soon as possible. He made her happy again and she refused to let that go.

 

It was a day earlier than she expected to be heading back, but she knew that she needed to fix this now. Pete assured her that they'd have a chance to talk more later regarding the media issues that would likely arise. After many hugs and goodbyes to her family, Rose took a taxi back to the airport to take a zeppelin back to Broadchurch. As she waited, she sent Alec a text message, 'About to board the zeppelin, we need to talk.'

 

The reply came a moment later, 'Can I meet you at the airport or maybe the coffee shop?'

 

'The airport would be fine, my car is there. Flight lands at 4:45.'

 

'I'll be there,' he responded.

 

Rose smiled at her phone and barely contained her nervous giggle at seeing him again.

 

###############################

 

Alec paced nervously at the airport. He knew that he had messed up when he told Rose that she shouldn't be ready for a relationship yet. She made it clear to him all the time that she didn't see her husband when she looked at him. It wasn't about who he looked like. They were good friends and she had said that she didn't want to be alone anymore.

 

That settled it in his mind. She wanted to be close to someone again and it seemed like she wanted that someone to be him. Hadn't he been asking for a sign to help him figure out when she was ready? Well, his sign metaphorically just smacked him in the face.

 

He could see her coming down the steps of the zeppelin. She was dressed in jeans and trainers and a warm coat. Her hair was tied back into a loose pony tail, but quite a bit of it had fallen out over her face. As soon as she entered the airport, he moved to take her bag from her and feeling daring, leaned down to kiss her cheek as he took the small case.

 

“Hello,” she said with a smile.

 

“Hello. Did you have a nice visit?” he asked politely.

 

“Yeah, it was nice. Vitex parties are always a bit stuffy, but it was good to visit with mum and dad and Tony for a bit,” she replied and led him towards where she had parked several days ago.

 

“Wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow, so this is a nice surprise. Where did you want to go? To talk, I mean,” he wondered as he placed her bag in the back seat before climbing into the passenger side. He had taken a taxi to the airport when she said that her car was already here and assumed that she had some idea of where she'd like to have this post-argument discussion.

 

“Can we..? Would it be too awkward for you to go back to my place?” Rose asked tentatively.

 

“No, that's fine. You've been travelling. Of course you'd like to get home,” he replied.

 

The drive back to Rose's house as quiet as they were both lost nervously in their thoughts. He carried her bag inside when they got there and Rose excused herself for a moment to freshen up. Alec sat on the couch in the living room, where everything had changed between them less than a week ago. He noticed the box on the table. He had left the gift there on Friday. Partially because she had told him to leave and partially because he didn't feel that it was his place to insist on keeping her gift at the time.

 

Rose entered the room and sat next to him. He could see her steeling herself for the conversation and in an uncharacteristic move for him, reached to take her hand. She stared at their clasped hands for a moment and smiled wistfully, as if remembering something. Rose noticed his curious look at her.

 

“Something he told me once. Sometimes all you need is a hand to hold,” she explained. She took a deep breath and told him, “I knew you would be worried about it being too soon. Knew it as soon as I realized that you were interested. I just didn't think you'd be so against it.”

 

“I'm not. I just...” he began, but Rose shook her head.

 

“I know. I surprised you with it and I'm sorry about that. I talked to my parents about it while I was there. Not the... sex... part, but starting a new relationship. And they told me the same thing that my husband would have. That my husband did, in fact. Mum had a message to give me. He knew how dangerous our lives were and he gave it to her years ago, just in case. He told me to make friends, be happy and ... have a fantastic life,” she explained and smiled shyly.

 

“And are you happy?” he questioned.

 

“You know what I was like when I came here, Alec. You brought me back. You saved me from killing myself. If there is anyone on this planet that can make me happy again, it's you,” she admitted and clasped both of his hands in hers.

 

“You deserve to be happy, Rose. Not sure how I rate at being the lucky sod that gets to be with you, but I'll take what blessings I can get,” he teased. “I'm sorry that I questioned your judgment. You are the one that gets to decide when you're ready.”

 

“Thank you, Alec. I think I'm ready,” she whispered and leaned in to kiss him.

 

This kiss was relaxed and languid, so different from the fevered passion of Friday night. He pulled her into his arms and deepened the kiss with a sigh. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck and dug her fingers into his hair.

 

“If we're together, Alec, the press are going to talk. They'll say awful things about the fact that you look like John did,” Rose warned him as he moved his mouth down her jaw and onto her neck.

 

“I know all too well what the press can do, Rose. And I don't bloody care,” he growled and latched onto the skin of her neck, sucking at the tender flesh hard enough to make her gasp.

 

Giving in to the feelings, Rose straddled his lap as she had before and tugged his t-shirt up over his head, revealing a smattering of soft chest hair over his well toned body. She then pulled her own shirt off and replaced her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer. He revelled in the feeling of her skin against his. Alec reached up her back to unclasp her bra and tossed it across the room for the crime of concealing her perfect breasts.

 

Rose giggled at him and then moaned lustfully as he began to suck on the prize he had revealed. She pressed her hips against him rhythmically as he nibbled on her playfully. “Will you be alright this time?” she asked and placed her hand over his heart.

 

“If we take it a little slower and I keep my pills nearby, it should be alright. And if not, what a way to go,” he growled and thrust his hips up against hers while wrapping his arms around her waist tightly.

 

Rose groaned then and pulled him up off the couch to go back to her room. He placed the pack of pills on the bedside table and took one of the condom packets out of the drawer to put next to it for the time being. He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her over to stand between his legs. Alec grasped her bum and nuzzled the soft skin of her belly as she once again, dug her fingers into his hair. The feeling of her fingernails scraping his scalp spurred him on and he brought one hand off of her behind to unclasp her jeans.

 

Alec tugged the tight denim down her legs, bringing her knickers along with it. She stepped out of the fabric when it hit the floor and groaned when he firmly grasped her arse. Rose whispering his name brought a chill up his spine and he breathed in the scent of her skin, bringing his hand around to touch her intimately. Sliding his long fingers into her, it was his turn to groan as he discovered how wet she was and knew that it was for him. She spread her legs a little wider to give him room. He took full advantage and pushed a third finger inside of her. Rose was panting now, her eyes closed and her hands braced on his shoulders as he touched her.

 

He could feel her getting closer to the edge and sucked hard on the nipple in front of him to urge her on. She gasped and thrust her chest harder against him, her hips moving in time with his fingers.

 

“So close. So, so close,” Rose whispered.

 

Alec groaned and flicked his thumb over her clit. Whether it was the sound or the touch, it was enough and Rose dug her fingers into his shoulders as her orgasm ripped through her. He slowed his movements to bring her back down gently and wrapped his other arm around her waist supportively. She leaned against him for a minute before rolling over him and onto the bed. While she caught her breath, Alec stood up to remove his own trousers and pants. He gazed at her lustfully. Her hair clung to her face with a sheen of sweat and her skin was flushed in all the right places.

 

He climbed back onto the bed next to her and kissed her sweetly. She hummed happily and rolled on her side to face him on the bed. Rose's hands wandered over his body, exploring every little dip and curve that she found, finally settling on his bum and squeezing playfully. He chuckled at her and rolled so that he was on top of her. He placed light kisses all over her face and neck as he rubbed against her thigh.

 

Rose sighed happily and wrapped her hand around him, stroking firmly. He growled her name into her ear and reached for the condom packet on the table. She helped him with it and positioned him at her entrance with a warm smile. He sank into her warmth and kissed her softly. The last time they did this, it had been fast and needy. This was slow, but no less passionate. His body slid against hers, enjoying every second of the heaven he was floating in. There was no sound but that of their breathing and the occasional whisper of the other's name between kisses.

 

He pulled her against him tightly as his body tumbled into blissful oblivion and she followed him closely, panting softly into his ear. They rolled onto their sides, still wrapped up in each other. Alec tossed the condom into the small waste bin in the corner and they curled up together and fell asleep.


	8. Auld Lang Syne

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!! Please leave me some reviews, if you don't mind! I'm not sure if I'm keeping everyone in character as much as I hope I am... but between my editor and I, we've decided that I somehow turn everything fluffy. I hope you like it anyway ;)

Chapter 8 – Auld Lang Syne

 

 

When Rose awoke, it was still very dark. It had been quite early when they tumbled into bed and they hadn't had supper either, so her stomach was protesting loudly. Alec was wrapped around her snugly. She stayed in place and just enjoyed it. It had been so long since she had someone to snuggle with at night, even longer for Alec. They both needed the support of having someone like this.

 

When he rolled over slightly, Rose took the opportunity to find something for them to eat. She had been away for almost a week, so there wasn't much, but she found a bag of pasta and a jar of sauce in the cupboard and decided it would be good enough.

 

The smell of pasta sauce seemed to be enough to rouse Alec from sleep. He hugged her from behind as she stirred their dinner on the stove.

 

"Hello," she said and turned her head to kiss his cheek.

 

"Hello," he replied in a voice that was still a bit gravelly from sleep. "Hungry are you?"

 

"Well, we did skip dinner in favour of dessert," she answered cheekily.

 

"I definitely owe you a few dinners at this point. Especially if you and I are official. We are, aren't we?" he asked nervously.

 

Rose laughed at his sudden insecurity. "Yes, Alec, I think it's safe to say that we are official. Although, I still have to have a talk with dad regarding the press," she informed him.

 

"Why would your dad be involved?" he wondered.

 

"He has PR people that can handle the tabloids and such better. It would be nice to catch it before they start jumping to conclusions, although they will anyway," she explained unhappily.

 

"You're probably right. It'd be enough that you were dating again, let alone that your new beau looks exactly like your husband did," he admitted. "That being said, I am taking you out for New Year's Eve. PR people or no." He punctuated his intentions with a soft kiss on her neck.

 

Rose hummed happily as she turned off the heat and moved to drain the pasta. Alec found plates in the cupboard and they settled in for a very late supper before going back to bed.

 

#########################

 

Alec hadn't spent the night with Rose again since Boxing Day, but she was eagerly awaiting their promised date for New Year's Eve. He had found a nice restaurant in one of the other towns in Dorset. She wasn't familiar with the area, but followed the directions he gave easily.

 

It was the first time that she had gone anywhere outside of Broadchurch with the exception of her little trip back to London. The countryside here was beautiful, she realized as she drove them through the green, rolling hills.

 

The restaurant was nice and they had a quiet table near the back. Rose had never quite done this kind of dating with the Doctor. Yes, there were formal dinners for all of the Vitex and Torchwood things, but not fancy restaurants. When they were travelling, it was all alien foods and unusual rituals and such. Once they were trapped in this world, they never felt the need for dates. It was all adventure and travelling the world and going on missions for Torchwood. But this was nice. It felt very... human.

 

"This is lovely, Alec, thank you," Rose told him and entwined their fingers together over the table.

 

"I'm very glad you like it. I haven't done anything like this in a very long time," he admitted sheepishly.

 

"I was just thinking about the fact that I don't think I've ever had a proper, normal date in my life. My first boyfriend was a disaster, my second would just take me to the pub to watch football, then I met the Doctor. He didn't really do romance," she told him reassuringly.

 

"I'm pleased that the bar is set low. I might have a chance at reaching it," he laughed.

 

Dinner conversation was pleasant and easy. After dinner, there was a party in the bar area and they stayed to dance and enjoy drinks until the countdown for midnight. Alec gave her a kiss for the New Year and they went back to Rose's house to spend the night together.

 

It wasn't until Rose was awakened by her phone ringing the next morning that they had any indication of a problem with their date. She fumbled with the phone on her nightstand for a moment before mumbling a sleepy, "Hello?"

 

"Rose! Oh my god! You'll never believe what's in the bloody papers this morning!" Jackie shrieked loudly.

 

"Calm down, mum. I take it we were seen. How bad is it?" Rose grumbled and flopped back onto her pillow, Alec cuddled into her side where he could easily overhear her mother.

 

"Oh, sweetheart, it's just awful! Pete has got the PR people on it today. They're going to get a press release together, but you need to know that those vultures will all get their due. I can't believe they had the nerve to write that," Jackie ranted loudly.

 

"Alright, what is it that they said that's got you in such a huff? We knew they'd be all over the fact that he looks like the Doctor," Rose responded, resigned to being at the mercy of the tabloids.

 

"Rose, they're saying that he IS the Doctor! They're saying we faked his death and has been in hiding," her mum informed her.

 

Rose's breath caught in her throat. Well, that was unexpected. She thought it would be painting her as shallow and it being too soon. She wasn't prepared for them to slander her husband or Alec's names with something that ridiculous.

 

"What?" was all she managed to choke out.

 

Alec sensed her distress and took the phone from her limp fingers. "Mrs. Tyler? This is Alec. Thank you for the warning before we saw it or heard it from some stranger. We'll be happy to speak with Mr. Tyler's PR people at their earliest convenience to clear this up. Rose is a bit shocked right now, but I'll take good care of her," he explained.

 

"You've already been taking good care of her, I can tell. Thank you for looking out for my baby," Jackie replied. "Tell Rose, I'll talk to her later, after she's had a chance to calm down."

 

"Will do," he said and ended the call. Rose was trembling slightly when he took her in his arms. "Shh, it's alright. We knew something was coming given the public figure that you are," he told her soothingly.

 

"I thought it would be me that they'd go after. I thought they'd say that it was too soon or that I was shallow for choosing someone who looked like John as a replacement. We already know those things aren't true. But to have them disrespecting  _him_ by saying that we faked his death? Disrespecting  _you_ to even question who you are? That's just not..." she argued through her tears.

 

"Don't you worry about me. They all know who I am, they've been plaguing me for almost two years about Sandbrook. It's easy enough to prove that I'm not John Tyler. But you're right in that it is terribly disrespectful of them to say those things about him," Alec said supportively as he stroked her arm calmly.

 

Alec brought her some tea and toast in bed as she emailed her father's PR team in London. Together, they formulated a statement that should put them all in their place and the local television news people were contacted so that Rose could speak to them directly. It was decided that it would be best if Alec appeared with her to emphasize the differences between him and John Tyler. The public had seen John in public with Rose frequently and they felt that the differences in accent and demeanour would be clear. A meeting with the press was arranged for early that afternoon.

 

Rose and Alec took their time getting ready. They enjoyed a shared shower that went on long enough to be well out of hot water before they had finished cleaning up. She carefully styled her hair and applied her makeup, dressing professionally, as had been expected of her when she made statements on behalf of Torchwood. Alec had only brought casual clothes with him for the day, not expecting to need a suit the day after their date, considering it was a holiday. After freshening things up in the dryer, and making ample use of Rose's iron, he was quite presentable. Thankfully, what he had worn on their date was very neutral and wouldn't scream to the press that it was the same clothing that he had been photographed in the night before.

 

When they arrived at the agreed upon location for the press, the cameras were already flashing. Rose and Alec stood before them confidently and took a deep breath as they all seemed ready for whatever she would say.

 

“Some very disturbing accusations have been made regarding the man standing next to me. The press should know him very well considering all of their attention on him over the last two years. He is a police officer, named Alec Hardy,” she began and took his hand in her own.

 

“Seven months ago, the man you all knew as my husband, John Tyler, was killed in an incident with Torchwood. I was devastated by his death and needed to escape the life I had known in London. Coming to work in Broadchurch, I coincidentally met Alec Hardy as a coworker. He has become a close friend and supported me greatly during my emotional recovery from the tragedy,” Rose continued.

 

Alec took over, “Rose hadn't been eating or sleeping properly when she moved here. I saw a broken young lady, in need of friendship and support. We have recently decided to allow that relationship to shift somewhat and would appreciate privacy and a lack of speculation regarding the similarities in my appearance to Rose's late husband, Doctor John Tyler.”

 

“The suggestion that John's death was faked was extremely disrespectful to a man who was brilliant, kind, and brave. He and I worked together diligently with Torchwood to protect everyone from unusual threats like the Cybermen and multiple classified missions. He will be loved and mourned for as long as I live, but life goes on and the last message that he gave to me was to have a fantastic life and not be alone. I intend to honour his wishes and surround myself with people who make me happy. Thank you for your time,” Rose concluded and together, she and Alec left the scene before any further questions could crack the facade that she had erected to keep the tears at bay.

 

She drove them the short distance to the beach and threw the car into park. They stayed seated inside the car as she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Alec took her hand in his and stroked the back of it with his thumb.

 

“You did it, Rose. It's done now,” he whispered supportively.

 

“It's not done. You know it's not. They'll never leave us alone,” she whimpered and kept her eyes clenched shut. She knew she couldn't drive safely right now, but had to get them away from the cameras. She hoped they were far enough away here that the reporters wouldn't follow them for long enough that she could collect her wits again.

 

“I know. But the truth has been told. Now we just have to deal with the day to day. What you did just now, Rose, showed strength and bravery. And convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love you,” Alec told her earnestly.

 

“Oh Alec, thank you, I...” she began, but he placed a finger over her mouth.

 

“Please, don't feel like you have to say anything of the sort just because I have. Today has been bloody awful for you and you don't need that kind of pressure. I needed you to know,” he interrupted and replaced his finger with his lips for a quick kiss.

 

Rose smiled weakly at him and nodded. Neither of them had said the word 'love' in all of their time together, despite the intimacy of their relations recently. But she felt it too. Somehow, though, it wasn't the right time to tell him. Not when they had just defended the memory of her dead husband to the world. The good thing about love was that you never replaced one person with another, it simply grew to envelop all of the people that were important in your life.

 

Alec's place was closer than hers from the beach and so, once she had calmed down enough to drive safely, she parked as close as she could and they walked the rest of the way to his little bungalow. They snuggled on the couch together, talked about nonsense and ordered take-out for dinner. Rose stayed the night sharing his little bed for the first time. With all the stress of the day though, it was no wonder that both of them would see the return of their nightmares.

 


	9. The Nightmare Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bit of a delay there. My muse suddenly had a million ideas for my other story and demanded that I write them down. We are getting into the actual season two of Broadchurch now, so if you haven't watched it yet, you might want to do that. I will be going solely from Alec and Rose's points of view, so you'll miss out on a lot of what happens with the other characters if you go just from my stuff.

Chapter 9 – The Nightmare Begins

 

 

Alec woke up gasping and coughing as he tried to clear his lungs of the water his mind told him he was drowning in. He began to cry as he tried to calm down after the nightmare, only to hear Rose whimpering beside him. She suddenly started thrashing and crying, so he grabbed her shoulders before she  could throw herself onto the floor and tried to wake her.

 

“Rose! Rose! Come on, love, wake up,” he called to her.

 

“Send them back! Get them off this planet!” Rose shouted before her eyes popped open and looked at the face hovering over hers in shock. “I...” she choked out.

 

“It's Alec, Rose. You were having a nightmare,” he told her soothingly, knowing that in her disoriented state and the likely topic of her dream, she might not be totally aware of who he was.

 

“Alec. Thank you,” she said shakily and wrapped her trembling arms around him. “I'm sorry if I woke you,” she added.

 

“Nah. Just woke up from a nightmare myself. We're quite the pair,” he scoffed.

 

“Did you... want to talk about it?” Rose suggested, knowing that it might help him. He didn't open up easily, but seemed to be willing to do so with her.

 

Alec hesitated. He didn't really want to talk about it, but it wouldn't hurt for Rose to know the details of Sandbrook that still haunted him. And if he told her, maybe she would explain a bit of her own. He wasn't sure exactly what she could have meant by talking about people leaving the planet.

 

“I suppose,” he said with a sigh. “Um, I think I told you that I was the one who found Pippa? She was... she was in the river. Her body had been there for three days. It was deeper than I thought and I got pulled under. In my nightmares, I'm drowning and I can see their faces. I can feel the weight of her body as I tried to pull her from the water.”

 

Rose hugged him tightly. Imagining how horrifying it would be to face that kind of thing. She didn't say anything, didn't want to interrupt, but stroked his hair soothingly.

 

“She was the same age as my daughter at the time. I just... didn't want to let their families down,” he told her as he began to cry again. He had stopped himself earlier in the face of rescuing her from her nightmare, but it was all still fresh in his mind.

 

She rocked back and forth slightly as she tried to soothe him. Alec clung to her tightly. Rose was helping to heal him, but he knew that the pain had to come out first. When he had finally managed to relax, Rose suggested making some tea and they both got out of bed. When they were seated together on the sofa, he decided it was time to broach the subject of her nightmares.

 

“You were shouting in your sleep earlier,” he told her softly.

 

“Was I?” she responded, clearly not volunteering to share anything.

 

“Look, Rose, I know that a lot of your work was classified with Torchwood. But I don't care about that. I care about you and I think you need to talk about it,” he insisted and squeezed her close to his side.

 

“It's complicated, Alec. So complicated,” she sighed frustratedly and closed her eyes. Clearly contemplating how much she could tell him. “What did I say in my sleep?” she asked.

 

“You said that you wanted someone off the planet,” he replied plainly.

 

“Shit!” she exclaimed and squeezed her eyes shut. “Ok. This'll sound mad, I know, but the main reason that Torchwood stuff is all classified is because they deal with aliens. Both friendly and unfriendly contact with aliens,” she admitted.

 

“Like, little green men from Mars?” he questioned, struggling with the ridiculous idea, but knowing that she had no reason to lie about this. It was obvious that she didn't even want to tell him about it.

 

“Yeah. Most of them aren't green, though, and come from a lot farther away than Mars.”

 

“So, the people your husband was negotiating with were aliens, then?” he deduced.

 

“They were,” she replied with a nod. “Their whole planet had been at war and they wanted to come here as refugees. They looked mostly human, so they could have managed in that respect, but our translation software didn't recognize their language. John understood it though. I can't explain right now how he knew a bunch of alien languages. Maybe later. The fact is, he was the only one that could communicate with them. When one of them shot him, I wanted them sent back to their war. I couldn't stand the idea of any of them staying here,” she explained and started to sob. “Why should they get to stay when he was gone?”

 

Alec held her tightly and rubbed her back as she cried. “Alright, love. Alright. It's ok, now. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known how the talks were going and you wouldn't be able to read the body language of another species. It wasn't your fault,” he assured her as he continued to stroke her hair and back soothingly.

 

“I like it when you call me that,” she hiccupped.

 

Alec smiled as he admitted, “I like that I can. You are so brave and strong. Thank you for telling me, love.”

 

####################################

 

Rose squeezed him tightly as he repeated the endearment. The Doctor had never settled on one that he used with her all the time. Most of the time, he just experimented with various alien endearments and babbled explanations of their meanings and origins and why each of them were never quite the perfect expression of how much he loved her. Alec's sweet little addition was another thing that was comfortingly human. She had loved her part-alien husband, but having these differences allowed her to place each of them in their own space in her heart. Both special and both loved.

 

“I love you, Alec,” she whispered to him.

 

“And I you, Rose,” he answered and kissed her neck softly. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about Torchwood. Did you really work with aliens?”

 

Rose chuckled at that. She had married one, but she didn't think he would be quite ready to hear that part yet. “Yup. Even though the Cybermen were completely a human creation from that idiot, Lumic, there are quite a few alien visitors around. Torchwood's job is to interact with them, sometimes stop them from hurting anyone, and often to help them find a safe place to stay until they can leave or integrate into our society without people noticing,” she explained.

 

“So, there might be aliens living next door or something and we'd never know?” Alec asked incredulously.

 

“Well, Torchwood tries to keep tabs on them, so they don't cause trouble or they protect them if someone gets too curious. But a lot of aliens look surprisingly like us or can hide the differences easily enough to blend in pretty seamlessly,” she acknowledged.

 

“When you said that you were behaving recklessly after he died, were you hunting down hostiles on your own or something?” he speculated.

 

“A couple of times, yeah. Felt like I had to fill the spaces for both of us. No one else had as much experience with them as we did, so...” she trailed off, worried that if she said too much, he might start asking questions about the nature of that experience.

 

“I'm glad they stopped you, then. Taking on angry or dangerous people when you are not entirely stable yourself, is rather dangerous,” he told her honestly.

 

“Yeah. I know. They pulled you off the force because of your heart, yeah?” she asked.

 

“Yeah. It started even before Sandbrook, but the stress of the case and the divorce just made it worse. I had hoped that by moving here and taking an easy DI job, I could relax a bit while I continued to work on Sandbrook on my own. I set up Claire nearby to keep an eye on her. I've got someone watching Ashworth for me, so I know where he is. But a week after I started here, Danny was found on the beach and it's just gotten worse,” he explained.

 

“Is there anything the doctors can do for you?” she wondered and laced their fingers together.

 

“They want to put in a pace maker, but they aren't sure I'll survive the surgery,” he admitted to her quietly.

 

“Oh my god, Alec. It's that bad?” Rose gasped as she squeezed his hand tightly.

 

“Aye. I'll probably have to risk it eventually. I'm not going to get any better without it,” Alec said and kissed the back of her hand lovingly.

 

“I think you should book the surgery. Those things can take a while to set up, love,” Rose told him supportively.

 

“I will. I've no plans to leave you behind any time soon, love. You've had enough of that for one lifetime,” he answered and stroked her hair off her face. “We should try to get some more sleep. Back to work in the morning.”

 

###################################

 

It was another month before Alec received a letter from the hospital. He was sitting on the steps outside as he opened it and Rose joined him, looking over his shoulder.

 

“What's this?” she asked curiously, leaning her head on his shoulder.

 

Alec turned to kiss the top of her head. “I've got a date for the surgery,  a few weeks from now,” he replied.

 

“I'll make sure and book some time off. You'll need someone to take care of you after that and I've got some vacation days saved up,” she told him. “I'd best get dressed for the hearing today, yeah?”

 

He nodded and went back inside as well. He took his pills and retrieved his tie and jacket. That was when his phone started buzzing on the table. Alec saw the call display reading Olly Stevens and begrudgingly answered it, “What?”

 

Olly was asking if he was ready for their interview with him. He had forgotten that he agreed to that, but found Olly and Maggie outside his door, waiting for him.

 

“Rose, I forgot about this newspaper thing. Did you want to meet me there?” he called back into the house.

 

“No, I'm ready now, I can come with you,” she answered brightly as she grabbed her bag and joined them.

 

The reporters from the Broadchurch Echo took them down to the beach for the interview and Olly started the voice recorder on his phone before asking his questions, “DI Hardy, you must be anticipating the relief today's court date'll bring.”

 

“It's the plea and case management hearing,” he corrected.

 

“But you're pleased you've got the right man in the dock?” Olly pressed.

 

“What sort of question is that? Pleased? Is that how you train him?” he asked Maggie, affronted that they would try to paint him as vengeful towards the man that had confessed and was arrested. His phone started buzzing in his pocket and he checked to see who it was. The call display said it was Claire.

 

“Take it if you want,” Maggie told him.

 

He dismissed the call, but it started again almost immediately. Dismissing it again, he turned to whisper in Rose's ear, “Claire's panicking about something. The timing couldn't get much worse.” She nodded and he returned his attention to the reporters.

 

“Right, today's hearing is the result of a thorough investigation by a team of dedicated officers who worked day and night under difficult circumstances,” Alec told them formally.

 

“And how will you personally feel seeing Joe Miller again?” Maggie asked pointedly, clearly realizing that their interviewee wasn't responding well to Olly's methods.

 

“No. Don't do that. It's not about me,” Alec snapped at her.

 

“He's the husband of your old Detective Sergeant. You must want the same as us, Joe Miller sentenced for what he did. As soon as that happens, we can all move on,” Maggie suggested.

 

“You know I can't comment in advance of today,” he replied.

 

“Are you missing being on active duty as a detective?” Olly interjected, seeing that comments regarding the case wouldn't be forthcoming and deciding to go for personal gossip.

 

“You can probably stop taking the arsehole pills, Oliver,” Alec responded curtly.

 

“Well, I thought you might leave now that you don't have any reason to be here. Except, of course, Ms. Tyler's being placed here for the time being,” Olly told him rudely.

 

“Don't bring Rose into this,” he growled.

 

“If this is about us going over your head in making statements after New Year's, Olly, then I will gladly direct you to make closer contact with my father's PR department,” Rose said as she placed herself between the two men and crossed her arms. They were both significantly taller than her, but she learned to glare from the best of them and the reporter backed off quickly.

 

“Alright, picture,” Maggie announced brightly. “If you'd just stand there.”

 

Rose stepped aside, since this was clearly about Alec and not her.

 

“Here? Really?” he questioned.

 

“Yeah. That cliff fall's recent. They're getting more frequent,” Maggie informed them, making conversation to draw attention away from the terse words between them.

 

“Things fall apart,” Alec grumbled, clearly thinking of himself. Rose gave him a half smile to show her understanding.

 

Maggie took a few pictures and tried to convince them to allow a few with Rose as well, but they declined. 

 

Before leaving, Alec decided to ask Olly about his family, “How's Tom getting on?”

 

“Me and mum are trying to get him through it, bu the still doesn't want to be with Ellie,” he answered honestly.

 

“Have you seen her?” Alec asked.

 

Olly shook his head to say that he hadn't and questioned, “You?”

 

Alec shook his head as well and led Rose back up off of the beach towards her car. Once they were both settled, Rose asked him, “What do you think Claire wants?”

 

“She's texting me now. I dunno, but we don't have time to deal with her until after the hearing. You didn't have to come today, love,” he told her, changing the subject.

 

“I wanted to come. For you and for Beth. She's one of my friends too, you know,” Rose replied with a smile.

 

“I know. And I'm very glad that you have made some friends here. It's good for you,” he said and took her hand.

 

They arrived at the courthouse at the same time as the Latimers and had to watch as the press nearly attacked them on their way into the building.  A few of them moved from the family and  took pictures of her and Alec on their way in as well, but they managed to avoid it for the most part.

 

When they got through the security station at the entrance, they saw Beth, Mark, and Chloe talking with the lawyer assigned to the prosecution. Alec and Rose approached them, but didn't say anything until he left to go to the courtroom. 

 

“Beth,” Rose said as she moved to hug her friend as tightly as she could around her very pregnant belly. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I'm fine, Rose. Thank you for coming,” Beth replied.

 

“You didn't have to be here today,” Alec informed them.

 

“Oh, we did,” Mark said assuredly.

 

“I need to hear him say it,” Beth responded.

 

There was an announcement over the PA system, calling the parties involved to proceed into the courtroom. Alec held back and checked his watch as he looked around the lobby.

 

“Are you looking for Ellie, love?” Rose asked him.

 

“Thought she'd be here for this. She needs as much closure on it as Beth does,” he answered.

 

They gave up waiting for her and made their way to the courtroom, sitting at the back together. It was only a moment later when a flustered looking Ellie Miller entered as well and Alec called her over to sit on the other side of him from Rose.

 

“How's Devon?” he asked her quietly.

 

“Awful,” she grumbled miserably.

 

Alec nearly jumped out of his seat at the sight of a dark haired woman that entered the courtroom next. “Claire,” he whispered to Rose before getting up and pulling the woman out of the room.

 

“What's that all about?” Ellie whispered to Rose, clearly recognizing her from the papers as being Alec's girlfriend.

 

“We'll explain later, yeah? Nice to meet you, by the way. Wish it were under better circumstances,” Rose answered with a friendly smile and offer of her hand.

 

“Likewise,” she replied with a forced smile. “Who was that?” Ellie asked Alec when he returned to the seat between the two ladies.

 

He shook his head as the hearing started. Ellie was clearly on the verge of tears at seeing her husband again. She was barely holding herself together. Beth glared at Joe Miller angrily and Chloe began to cry quietly next to her mother.

 

Joseph Miller was dressed in a dark suit and tie, standing far too confidently in the dock.

 

“How do you plead? Guilty or not guilty?” the question was asked of the accused.

 

“Not guilty,” he answered loudly.

 

Ellie gasped, “No!”

 

Rose could see Beth nearly fall apart, looking around the room desperately for someone to tell her that it wasn't possible. She wished then, that she was sitting closer to her friend to offer her support. Rose took Alec's hand then as he shifted uncomfortably and bit his lip.

 

“Er... Your Honour... Sorry. Can I just ask for the indictment to be put again?” the defence lawyer asked awkwardly.

 

Mark stood up then and began shouting angrily, “Be a man, Joe! You know what happened!”

 

He was ordered to sit down and it became painfully clear that Joe had not even informed his counsel of his intention to plead his innocence. He confirmed his plea and the hearing was ended, calling for a full trial to take place in two weeks time.

 

Rose tried to comfort Beth as much as she could. After a lot of hugs and crying, their family went home for the evening. Rose asked Alec where Ellie had gone.

 

“Saw her go into the ladies' a while back. She hasn't come out,” he replied.

 

“I'll keep an eye out at the door if you want to go in and talk to her,” Rose told him. She would have offered to go in, but she didn't really know Ellie. She was Alec's friend and it would be best if he spoke with her.

 

###################################

 

Alec knocked on the stall door.

 

“It's occupied!” Ellie shouted.

 

“I know. Come out, Miller,” Alec told her calmly.

 

“Go away! It's the ladies! You can't come in!” Ellie shouted again.

 

“Rose is watching the door. Come on, you've been ages,” he called back to her.

 

Ellie stumbled out of the bathroom stall, wiping tears from her cheeks with her fingers. She looked in the mirror over the sink to make sure she hadn't smeared makeup all over her face. Alec struggled for what to say that might help. He' d  had plenty of practice helping Rose when she' d been upset lately, but everything that he  could  think of to say to Ellie seem ed pathetic.

 

“Don't let it get to you,” he finally told her with the expected, emotional response.

 

“Oh, thanks for that. Brilliant advice,” she replied and thought for a moment about the whole situation. “You caught Joe. He had Danny's phone, you brought him in, you interviewed him. He didn't resist. He is guilty.”

 

“And the case against him is strong. The CPS never had any doubt about prosecuting,” Alec agreed.

 

“Doesn't he know what it's gonna do to Beth and Mark? To all of us? Oh god, who's gonna tell Tom? He's at school. If his friends find out before him...” she rambled as all of her worries started to pour out in her emotional state.

 

“I spoke to your sister,” he told her reassuringly. “She and Olly are going to take him out at lunchtime.”

 

“I could go with them. I could see him,” she said hopefully.

 

“You know he doesn't want that,” he told her regretfully with a shake of his head. If Tom didn't want to live with his mother, then he was clearly to upset to be around her and with Miller in the state she was, an argument was the last thing she needed.

 

“I'm his mother!” she argued. “He's only gonna blame me more. How am I ever gonna get him back if there's a trial?” Ellie sniffled as the tears returned. She took a deep breath and grumbled, “How is this my life now?”

 

“I'm sorry,” he whispered. He thought about the best ways he had to help Rose deal with her pain lately and stood up from where he was leaning against the counter. “Do you want a hug?” he offered.

 

“What? No!” Ellie cried in shock.

 

“No,” he accepted.

 

“What's the matter with you?” she questioned.

 

“I want to help,” he insisted.

 

“Hug it out? Is that what you do now? Got yourself all hooked up and everything,” she responded fiercely.

 

“What? Don't be like that, Miller. Don't bring that into it, I'm trying to help you. You're my friend,” he responded, refusing to allow her to belittle his relationship even if she was upset.

 

“Whatever,” she grumbled as she picked up her purse and started for the door.

 

“Try not to be alone today,” he called after her.

 

“I am alone, sir,” she replied angrily.

 

“You don't have to call me sir anymore,” he told her.

 

“I know,” she shouted over her shoulder as she bumped into Rose who was standing at the door to direct people away. “Christ's sake! Get out of my way!”

 

Alec walked out of the washroom and pulled Rose to sit with him on a bench nearby. “Well, that went well,” he grumbled sarcastically.

 

“She'll be alright... eventually. Give her some time to calm down. She knows that you're here for her when she's ready,” Rose suggested. Alec nodded and she asked, “What did Claire say?”

 

“She's been getting anonymous phone calls and she thinks it's Lee,” he told her, happy for the change in topics for the moment.

 

“I thought you said you had someone watching him?” she asked.

 

“I do. He hasn't said anything about Lee coming back here. I sent her back home and said I'd stop over there after,” he told her.

 

“Well, let's go then. She must be pretty upset about it, if she came all the way here to find you,” Rose responded and stood up to go back to her car.

 

“I don't want you dragged into this, Rose,” he argued, hoping to take a taxi instead of bringing Rose to the house where Claire was staying.

 

“Too bad. I'm already involved and she knows who I am, unless you aren't allowing her television or newspapers,” she countered logically.

 

“Alright, let's go,” he acquiesced and took her hand as they walked to her car.

 

 


	10. Telling Miller

Chapter 10 - Telling Miller  


 

He directed her to the secluded house. It was surrounded by fields and there was only one narrow, dirt road leading up to it. He  would have  tried to get Rose to stay in the car when he went to speak with Claire, but she was out and following him before he could even attempt to argue with her about it.

 

Claire was waiting outside the front door when they arrived. “Hi,” she said meekly.

 

“You shouldn't have come earlier,” he chastised her.

 

“I know. It was stupid,” she admitted with some embarrassment.

 

“Yeah, it bloody was. Don't do that sort of thing,” he continued. “People don't know you're here for good reason.”

 

“I said I was sorry. It's just... I was spooked by those calls and I... I needed you,” she told him and looked warily at the woman on his arm. “Claire,” she introduced herself and held out a hand to Rose.

 

“Rose,” she replied and shook the brunette's hand.

 

Alec looked between them, then returned his attention to Claire. “We need to stick to what we agreed,” he said forcefully.

 

“Promise me I'm safe, Alec,” she demanded worriedly.

 

“I've told you. Everything's ok,” he replied.

 

“So, you're staying?” she questioned with a nod to both of them.

 

“No, we've got things we need to do,” he told her curtly, not allowing her innocent victim routine to phase him.

 

“I don't like being here by myself,” she argued.

 

“Stop worrying,” he insisted.

 

“You don't know what he's capable of,” she called after them as they turned to go back to Rose's car.

 

“I do. I've got it covered,” he replied over his shoulder.

 

When they were back in the vehicle, Rose gave him her assessment. “She knows what he's capable of? That's rather telling isn't it?”

 

“Aye. Glad you agree. The poor, helpless girl act is starting to get on my nerves, but I can't let her know that I'm on to her,” he answered.

 

“She's definitely tougher than she's pretending to be. I've had to play the damsel in distress a few times. It works well, and while she is worried that he'll find her, it isn't because she's innocent,” Rose said assuredly.

 

“You seem very sure of that fact,” he commented.

 

“I'm very good at reading people. That's why I teach diplomacy,” she replied with a wink before looking back at the road. She parked a close as possible to Alec's place and they walked together across the field of grass behind his little house. “Maybe you should call that person you've got tailing Lee Ashworth?” she suggested.

 

He was furious when he discovered that Ashworth had entered the UK three days before and he hadn't been notified. Rose tried to calm him down in the face of his contact's incompetence, but they were both hit with a wave of fear as they went through the gate and saw that someone had broken into his house.

 

He ran to the door and checked inside, holding his arm out to keep Rose from entering before he made sure that there wasn't anyone inside. Once he knew it was clear, they both checked to see what might be missing. Nothing of value seemed to be missing at all, it looked more like someone was looking for something or checking up on him. They called the police to check it out. They couldn't come until there was a break since it wasn't an emergency, but promised to call him before they came by.

 

“I think you should come stay with me, Alec. I'll just worry about you if you're here by yourself and you know it's no secret about us. What if they hit my house next?” she rambled worriedly.

 

He sighed, knowing that she was right. He'd likely only worry about her as well if he wasn't with her now. It was probably Lee, though he had no proof of that and the man was dangerous. “Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I'll grab some things, then we need to go find Miller. I want her help with Claire,” he replied and walked to his room to pack a bag.

 

“What do you want her to do with Claire?” Rose questioned.

 

“Claire doesn't want to be by herself and I don't think that Miller should be by herself. She needs something to do. You understand that, needing a purpose. She can keep an eye on her,” he told her.

 

“So what was all that stuff about her being dangerous? You didn't want me to even meet her, but you'll send Ellie in there alone with her?” Rose asked, angry that he didn't seem to trust her abilities.

 

“It's not that, love. I know that you have extensive training to deal with all the crazy stuff at Torchwood. It's not that I don't think you could handle Claire, it's that I don't want you near her. She is manipulative and I don't want anyone using you in any way. I love you too much for that,” he explained.

 

“So why send Ellie in there then? She's a wreck and you want to throw her to the lions, what, because she said something about our relationship in the middle of a fit of anger?” she argued.

 

“No, Rose. I'll make sure that she knows what she's dealing with. She's tougher than she looks, she isn't as vulnerable to the media as you are, and she's more likely to gain Claire's trust because she isn't as obviously going to tell me everything the way you would. Claire will see her as a colleague of mine, not my friend, and if she thinks she can win over Ellie to her side, she might let her guard down,” Alec insisted as he zipped his suitcase closed.

 

“Let's go find Miller. She should be at her therapist appointment,” he said as he locked up the place as best he could with the glass already broken around the door handle.

 

“How do you know that? Have you been checking up on her?” Rose wondered.

 

“Aye. I've been worried about her is all,” he admitted.

 

“You're a good friend, love. I'm sorry I got so upset about Claire,” Rose told him as they walked back to her car.

 

“It's alright. I know why you did. I've just found myself to be very protective of you from the moment you had a panic attack at the sight of me. I trust your instincts and your abilities, but I want to keep you safe too,” he replied honestly.

 

Rose smirked a bit and informed him, “Something the Doctor learned with me after a few failed attempts, you can't send me away to safety. I'll just find my way back and there's a reason he nicknamed me Jeopardy Friendly.”

 

“I can only imagine,” he said with a smile and wrapped an arm over her shoulder as they walked.

 

#######################################

 

They arrived outside Ellie's appointment before she came out and waited by her car. They stood together, his arm wrapped around her waist. Ellie stepped out of the building across the street and her face shifted from depression to anger in an instant.

 

“Miller,” Alec said in greeting.

 

“Go away! What are you doing here?” she demanded to know.

 

“It's your appointment,” he replied simply.

 

“But I didn't tell anyone. Have you been following me?” she snapped as she put some things in the backseat of her car.

 

“Shut up,” he responded.

 

“That's right. Stalk me and insult me. Do you seriously put up with this shit from him?” Ellie asked Rose, the anger and frustration rolling off of her in waves.

 

“We're in a bit of trouble,” he told her.

 

“So am I, if I don't collect Fred from the child minder's in the next twenty minutes,” she replied coldly.

 

“Ellie, we could really use your help with this, please,” Rose interjected.

 

Ellie scoffed and ordered them both, “Get in. For god's sake!”

 

Alec got into the front seat to discuss the issue with Ellie and Rose sat in the back, next to the child safety seat. He looked back at her as Miller started the car and she nodded supportively.

 

“This needs to stay between us. You need to promise me,” Alec insisted before telling her about what they needed.

 

“How long's this gonna take?” Ellie questioned impatiently.

 

“Promise me,” he pressed.

 

“Am I going to be annoyed by this?” she asked rather than giving in to his demand.

 

“Next left,” he instructed.

 

Rose smirked in the backseat at their banter. It was obvious to her why they were friends. They were like oil and vinegar, complete opposites, but complementing each other perfectly. It was nice to see Alec with a friend other than her. She loved her time with him, but she knew that he needed to have friends outside of their close relationship as much as she did.

 

Alec didn't reveal anything about their plan on the drive to Claire's house. They stopped to pick up Ellie's son, Fred, on the way. When Ellie parked the car, Claire came storming outside, clearly unhappy to have so much company.

 

“What's going on? First you bring your little girlfriend around and now this one? Who is she?” Claire demanded.

 

“Miller, Claire,” Alec introduced them.

 

“Ellie, hi,” she corrected as she offered her hand.

 

“Why are you bringing people here?” Claire questioned as Alec led them all toward the house.

 

“She'll help,” he replied.

 

“After everything you've said, no one's supposed to know,” Claire insisted.

 

“You're worried. She'll look after you,” Alec told them and walked toward the house, prompting a shocked look on both of their faces that almost made Rose laugh, but she maintained her composure.

 

“What?” they asked together.

 

“Let's not do this out here. Inside,” he ordered.

 

Ellie got Fred from his car seat and grabbed a few things for him to play with. She set him colouring on the coffee table as Claire fussed over him.

 

“He's gorgeous,” Claire complimented.

 

“He's quite sleepy,” Ellie admitted.

 

“What is he? Two?” Claire asked.

 

“Nearly. You got kids?” Ellie asked politely.

 

Claire's smile dropped and she looked nervously at Alec and Rose, who were standing in the doorway nearby. Ellie glanced confusedly between Alec and Claire for a moment, sensing some kind of tension.

 

“Oh. Sorry. Is she your wife?” Ellie wondered.

 

“Him? Please!” Claire scoffed.

 

Rose wanted to protest the tone of ridiculousness she implied with that, but instead just cuddled into his side.

 

“Not my wife,” he replied simply.

 

“Do you want to tell me what's going on?” Ellie asked pointedly as no one seemed to be volunteering any information.

 

“I trust her. She can help,” Alec told Claire reassuringly.

 

“Go on, then. Tell her. You obviously want to,” she responded and sat on the couch near where Fred was playing.

 

“It's sort of witness protection,” Alec explained.

 

“What? How can you be running witness protection? Is this a Torchwood thing? Are you undercover?” Ellie questioned.

 

“No, Ellie, I'm just trying to help,” Rose insisted.

 

“I said, sort of. Not officially,” Alec continued. “But she is under my care.”

 

“What do you mean, not officially? You've been hiding her here?” Ellie demanded.

 

“No one knows and no one can know,” Alec told her firmly.

 

“Are you out of your head? Oh, tell me you haven't done this,” Ellie denied in clear exasperation. “A witness to what, that you have to be holed up here?” she asked Claire.

 

Claire looked at Alec, waiting for him to explain the rest. “Tell her,” she said with a nod.

 

“My last case before I came to Broadchurch. Sandbrook,” Alec admitted.

 

“I've been helping him look at the files the last few months. There are some ideas, but we're hoping we can find some new information and open it up again,” Rose added.

 

They moved to the kitchen to discuss the details of the case away from Fred's ears. He was too young to really understand, but they didn't want to discuss murders in front of him either.

 

Alec took a deep breath before explaining to Miller the summarized events, the same way he had done for Rose when he first asked for her help. “ There were two girls, cousins. Lisa Newbery, nineteen, was babysitting for her twelve year old cousin, Pippa. Pippa's parents went away for the night to a friend's wedding. When they came back the next day, both girls were gone. The twelve year old, Pippa, her body was found three days later. The nineteen year old, Lisa... officially she's still missing. Our main suspect was a man called Lee Ashworth, but he had a solid alibi.”

 

“Which was what?” Ellie questioned.

 

“Me,” Claire replied. “I said I was with Lee all night.”

 

“Was that true?” Miller asked.

 

“No,” Claire admitted with a sigh. “No, I was at a friend's house, but Alec worked out that I was lying and he promised, if I told the truth, Lee would be convicted. It was a big risk for me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Lee's my husband,” she said finally.

 

“Oh god!” Ellie moaned at the drama unfolding.

 

“Yeah. But the trial collapsed and Lee walked a free man and I asked Alec if he would protect me,” Claire told her.

 

“So, that's what this place is all about. You can't just keep her here,” Miller insisted. “There are official channels, procedure.”

 

“Not if you've accused a person who's walked free. There's no witness protection, there's nothing,” Claire told her, suddenly angry with her situation. “I'd be abandoned if it wasn't for Alec.”

 

“How long have you been here?” Ellie asked her.

 

“Seven months or so?” Claire admitted.  


“No, if you've been here seven months...” Ellie responded, working out the timing of events.

 

“When I came to Broadchurch,” Alec admitted. “That's _why_ I came to Broadchurch. I took the job so I could keep Claire safe here.”

 

“You wanker!” Ellie shouted and stormed back to the living room to pack up her son's things.

 

“Ellie! Ellie!” Rose called as she followed after her and knelt down beside where she was stuffing toys into a bag. “Please, Ellie. Please just listen.”

 

“Fred, darling, we're going,” she said quietly before turning back toward the man she felt had betrayed her trust. “He took a job earmarked for me all because of her!” Ellie shouted angrily.

 

“Oh, get over the bloody job!” Alec responded.

 

Ellie glared at him. “Do you not see how stupid you're being? What are you thinking?”

 

Alec shut the door and nodded to Rose.

 

“Listen, Ellie, Alec has a plan,” Rose whispered to her.

 

“Yeah, well it's shit!” she shouted, disregarding their sudden desire for privacy.

 

“We know how to solve Sandbrook. Claire is our key witness,” Rose insisted quietly.

 

“What if Lee Ashworth comes looking for her?” she questioned skeptically.

 

“We're pretty sure he already is,” Rose told her.

 

“I want him to,” Alec added.

 

“That's your plan?” Ellie asked, disbelieving that he would do something so risky.

 

“Just stay a bit longer, get to know Claire. Have dinner, have some drinks, you can stay the night,” Alec suggested.

 

“Oh, have a sleepover!” Ellie cried in mock happiness.

 

“She needs someone like you and you're not overloaded for friends,” Alec told her, prompting an elbow in the ribs from Rose.

 

“Thanks a lot! Why not have Rose do it for you?” she responded angrily.

 

“It's complicated, Ellie, but he doesn't think that she'll trust me as much as you,” Rose told her softly. “We need someone to gain her trust and get her talking.”

 

“There's even room here for...” Alec began and gestured toward the toddler.

 

“Fred,” Rose supplied with a roll of her eyes.

 

“Fred,” he acknowledged quickly. “Please, Miller. Please, listen, I need to know I got Sandbrook right in the end. We've been trying, but we can't do this on our own.”

 

“Fine,” she agreed with a sigh.

 

“Did you want me to call a taxi to go get my car, love?” Rose asked Alec.

 

“We'll stay too, I don't want to leave Ellie alone with a stranger right away. We can go in the morning,” Alec told her and she nodded, knowing that this was more a responsibility that they had taken on than Ellie and wouldn't leave her to fend for herself.

 

“I'll drive you when I leave tomorrow,” Ellie told them.

 

Rose and Alec slept on the fold out couch, leaving Ellie with the guest bedroom. Alec's suitcase was still in Rose's car, so they both made due with sleeping in their regular clothes. Snuggled into his side, Alec wrapped an arm around her comfortingly.

 

“We'll solve it won't we?” Rose asked him softly.

 

“Course we will, love,” he replied and kissed her forehead.


	11. When You Thought it Couldn't Get Worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I hope you like where I'm going with this! Please leave me some comments, I really appreciate it when you do!! And a huge thank you to my beta TheDoctorMulder, who is trying to catch up on watching season two just so she can help me with this :D

Chapter 11 – When You Thought it Couldn't Get Worse

 

 

Alec awoke, gasping for breath, as usual. Rose's face came into view, hovering over him, clearly worried. She had been the one to pull him from the nightmare and he found that they were both tangled tightly in the blanket they had been using on the sofa.

 

“Are you alright, love?” she questioned quietly, so as not to wake Ellie and Claire.

 

“Fine. I'll... I'll be alright,” he replied as he tried to calm his breathing. He wrapped his arms around her and relaxed into her warm embrace even as she tried to kick their legs free of the blanket and flatten it out again. “Sorry I woke you,” he whispered and tucked her hair behind her ear.

 

“I'll always be here for you, Alec. We fight each other's nightmares,” she assured him. “How about I make some tea?”

 

He nodded and they both got up from the rather uncomfortable sofa bed. Alec folded it all away while Rose made tea and toast for them. He could hear Fred stirring where he had been put down and knew that Miller would be up soon to feed him as well.

 

It was an hour or so later, when he received a distressing phone call. “Ok, thanks. Be there as soon as I can,” he said as he rang off.

 

“I don't like that look,” Rose commented as he ran to the next room.

 

“Miller, we need you to drive us somewhere now. We can go and get Rose's car ourselves later,” he told Ellie hurriedly, interrupting Fred's breakfast.

 

“No, I didn't sleep well, thanks for asking. Get a taxi,” she snapped at him.

 

“A taxi will take too long. We need to be there now,” he argued.

 

“Why don't you have your own car anyway?” she questioned.

 

“I can't. Medically. Can we go?” he responded impatiently.

 

“Go where?” Claire asked as she entered the room.

 

“I'll call you,” he told Claire and pulled Rose with him out the door. He called over his shoulder, “Miller, come on!”

 

“What's going on?” Rose asked him as they got into Ellie's car.

 

“Hopefully, we can get Miller to just drop us off and leave. Beth is really going to need you when we get there. They're requesting another autopsy on Danny's body,” he told her quickly before Miller came out to the car with Fred.

 

“Oh my god,” Rose gasped. “That's horrible!”

 

Alec shushed her when Ellie joined them and they kept quiet about it as she followed his directions to the church.

 

“You know the wardrobe in that bedroom?” Ellie asked, breaking the silence. “I found a letter wrapped in cloth. Well, I say letter, it was a bluebell in an envelope.”

 

“What do you mean, a bluebell?” Alec asked, concerned by the possible connection to the location where he had found Pippa's body.

 

“Well, just that, a single flower,” she replied.

 

“This right, here,” he directed.

 

“This is the road to the church. Why are we going to the church?” Ellie questioned in concern.

 

“Just let us out and drive away,” Alec told her.

 

“No,” she replied.

 

Ellie parked her car between the emergency vehicles and they were met by Rev. Coates as they got out. He looked completely at a loss as to what to do about the situation.

 

“Tell me they're not going to do this,” Alec pleaded.

 

“They've got a court order,” Paul told him helplessly. “Ellie,” he said blankly when he saw her.

 

“Somebody tell me what's going on,” she demanded.

 

“Back in the car, Miller!”

 

Ellie followed them despite everyone's warnings. And Paul explained, “Joe's legal team have requested a new autopsy on Danny's body. It means an official exhumation.”

 

“Oh god, no,” Ellie moaned.

 

They could see the white tent erected over the gravesite as they walked up the path along the graveyard. Alec wished that Ellie would leave as this was bound to be infuriating for the Latimers. He demanded to see the court order for the exhumation as soon as they arrived.

 

“Ellie,” Paul warned and they turned to see the Latimers arriving along with their own legal team.

 

“My boy is in there! You!” Mark shouted angrily at the men who were moving Danny's coffin from its resting place. “Why can't you let him rest, eh?”

 

“I'm so sorry,” Paul said to Mark, trying to calm him down.

 

“You couldn't resist, could you?” Beth accused Ellie.

 

“I didn't know this was happening,” she responded softly.

 

“No, you never do. This is on you, Ellie. I hope you rot in hell for what you've done to us!” Beth told her with rising fury.

 

Rose placed herself between them and spoke to Beth firmly, “Beth, you need to calm down. Please. This isn't about Ellie. Let's go and talk, we can't stop them, believe me we tried, but we can't.”

 

Rose looked back at Alec over her shoulder as she left with Beth to help calm her down. He nodded to her as he watched them go with Chloe.

 

“Do something, Paul,” Mark pleaded. It took the efforts of Paul and Nigel to keep Mark from rushing in and interfering, but he eventually followed the rest of his family.

 

Ellie walked back to where he was still looking over the papers and he asked her, “You alright?” She could only shake her head as she fought back tears once again.

 

He looked up at the surrounding area and his gaze fell on a man standing on the hill overlooking the church yard. Alec recognized him immediately and walked out to face him directly, though at a distance. Ellie followed him and asked, “Who's that?”

 

“It's Lee Ashworth,” he admitted.

 

“You're kidding,” Miller responded.

 

“Look at him standing there, gloating,” Alec sneered. He worried that this might be a threat. It was clear that Ashworth was following him or knew exactly how to find him. That meant that he knew about Rose as well. Lee was a very dangerous man and that meant that none of them were safe.

 

“Why are you so sure he killed those girls?” Ellie questioned.

 

He couldn't tell her, yet. He needed her to look at the files with fresh eyes, the way Rose had. It would allow her to come to her own conclusions without being coloured by his theories.

 

“I'll talk to you about it later. I've got all the files, we can go over it. You didn't sleep well, Miller. Just go home and get some rest with Fred, alright?” he told her.

 

After a few text messages with Rose, she met him with a taxi to go retrieve her car. Once they were in the privacy of her car, he told her, “Lee Ashworth was watching us at the graveyard.”

 

“You're kidding! Well, what does that mean, then?” she wondered.

 

“Letting me know that he's watching me, I think. I don't want you alone, alright? Stay in public or close to me. I couldn't bear it if that man did something to hurt you because of me,” he pleaded worriedly.

 

“Hey, it'll be alright, love. I'm tougher than I look, yeah?” Rose assured him. 

 

####################################

 

Rose stood with their work supervisor, Officer Moore, as they watched Alec lecturing his class. It was clear to everyone that he was just going through the motions on this assignment. His only real interest was in solving Sandbrook and he couldn't tell anyone official that he was even looking at it yet.

 

The supervisor shook her head. “Why does he even bother?” she asked Rose.

 

“It's not like either of us really wanted to be taken off of active duty,” Rose replied.

 

“Yes, but at least you put some effort into it,” she told her before walking back to her office.

 

Rose overheard her talking to him on their way out for the day. She followed behind a bit, so as not to interrupt on their way to her car. He was staying at her house for now.

 

“Why the hell did you say yes to this job if you don't enjoy it?” Moore asked him.

 

“Not that bad, am I?” he responded.

 

“You'll demotivate our entire intake. We can't count on Rose to keep them all around on her own,” she informed him. “The boredom drips off you.”

 

“I was good at my job,” he argued.

 

“Yeah, and you're no longer fit for it,” she answered firmly. “So get good at this one or do something else.”

 

Rose caught up with him when they had finished speaking. They got in the car and she started driving towards her house. They were almost there when Alec received a phone call.

 

“Hi... Ok, what did he say?” Alec said to whomever was on the phone. “Claire, I promise you're safe. Just stay there, I'll call you later,” he told her.

 

As Rose parked her car, she noticed that Alec's gaze was locked with a man who was sitting on a bench nearby, smoking a cigarette. She was fairly sure that she recognized the man from the photos in the Sandbrook files as Lee Ashworth.

 

“I've gotta go, bye,” Alec said into the phone and hung up. He got out of the car and walked toward Lee, a look of fierce determination set on his face. Rose followed him closely, unwilling to leave him alone with the dangerous man. “What do you want?” Alec demanded.

 

“Where's Claire?” Ashworth asked casually.

 

“Why would I know?” Alec responded.

 

“Don't mess me about. I wanna see her,” Lee told him.

 

“Lisa Newbury's parents wanna see their daughter,” Alec countered. Rose stood by his side, her arms crossed as she glared with equal ferocity at the man. 

 

“For the last time, I had nothing to do with that,” he insisted.

 

“I don't believe you,” Alec replied darkly.

 

“Neither do I,” Rose added, earning herself a threatening look from Ashworth. Alec quickly stepped between them defensively.

 

“You got it wrong,” Lee said harshly. “It's over.”

 

“Not for the parents. Not for me,” Hardy told him.

 

“What about for me?” Ashworth questioned. “I lost my whole life 'cause of you. I had to leave the country.”

 

“Should have stayed there,” Rose interjected.

 

Alec glanced at her, his look pleading her not to antagonize this man. “So, why'd you come back?”

 

“I want my life back. Now tell me where I find Claire, or do I have to follow you around everywhere?” he sneered and cast a leering look over Rose.

 

“Yeah, give it a go,” Alec replied warningly.

 

“Here's my number,” Lee said as he stuck a business card into Alec's top pocket. “You tell her to call me. Sorry about your health,” he added as he turned to walk away.

 

“What did you say?” Alec questioned, suddenly alarmed.

 

Ashworth turned back to look at him innocently, though his knowledge only confirmed that he had been the one to break into Alec's house. The statement was a veiled threat in and of itself. “Someone said you were sick,” he responded.

 

They watched as he walked away and then went into Rose's house, locking the door firmly behind them. Alec quickly pulled Rose into his arms and hugged her tightly.

 

“You nearly scared me to death, Rose,” he gasped into her shoulder.

 

“Hey. Hey, it's alright. Told you, I'm tougher than I look. I've faced down far worse than that wanker,” she told him reassuringly. “Can't leave you all the fun.”

 

“Fun?! Rose, that man is dangerous! I can't believe you would just antagonize him like that,” he shouted incredulously.

 

“Honestly, Alec, calm down. I'm used to this kind of thing. I did this nearly everyday with the Doctor,” she insisted.

 

He growled in frustration as he paced her living room. Clearly wanting to argue more, but knowing that it wouldn't accomplish anything. She stopped him in his tracks with a reassuring hug.

 

“Rose, he knows where you live. He knows about my heart condition. He knows I'm involved with Danny's trial, since he was there at the cemetery earlier. That was a clear threat out there,” he insisted as he angrily pointed back towards the street outside.

 

“I know that, love. We can't stop him from knowing those things, but we also can't let him think that we're scared of him,” she responded. “I've faced down alien dictators with three heads and spikes all over their body with the fate of the entire planet at stake. I will not be bullied by that arsehole out there.”

 

Alec finally nodded in resignation. He rubbed his hand over his face as he realized that there was no winning this argument. His phone rang in his pocket as the police informed him that they would be over at his house shortly to investigate the break-in. Rose made sure that all of the Sandbrook files were locked in her safe before leaving the house, though they were relatively sure that it would be stupid for Lee to break into her house right away.

 

They hung around outside while the officers checked for fingerprints other than those belonging to Alec and Rose. They didn't find anything though and since nothing of value had been taken, they left shortly after. Rose helped him to tidy up from their search of the house.

 

“Would you... I mean, you don't have to, love. But, would you want to stay... at my place?” Rose asked him nervously when they were done cleaning.

 

“What you mean? I am staying at your place. Isn't that what we agreed already?” he responded, clearly confused by her question.

 

“I mean, well, not just because of the break-in and Ashworth. I mean, like, all the time?” she suggested hesitantly.

 

“Rose, are you asking me to move in with you?” he asked as he stopped her fidgeting by taking her hands in his. She avoided looking up at him, too nervous of how he would respond to the suggestion.

 

“I... well,” she began, but was interrupted by Alec's mobile ringing just then.

 

“What?” he asked as he answered it. “No, but I can call her. Right, we'll be there soon,” he said and rang off.

 

“Who was that?” Rose wondered.

 

“Jocelyn Knight. She's the counsel for the prosecution. She wants to see me and Miller about the case. You probably won't be able to be a part of the meeting, but I don't exactly want to leave you alone right now either,” he told her honestly.

 

“I get it. I'll drive you and I can wait outside until you're done,” she replied.

 

He called Ellie and she agreed to meet them there, since she would be coming all the way from Devon, but they agreed to have dinner together afterward and they could discuss the Sandbrook files. They walked together up the gravel road to Ms. Knight's house.

 

“Did she say what she wanted? What do you think it is?” Ellie questioned nervously.

 

“I don't know. Stop wittering, Miller,” he chastised.

 

“Oi, rude, Alec,” Rose told him with an elbow to the ribs.

 

“When isn't he rude?” Ellie responded.

 

“Ashworth paid us a visit earlier,” Alec told Ellie. “Said he's looking for Claire and he's not gonna stop until he finds her.”

 

“Well, you said that's what you wanted. Now you've got it,” Ellie replied.

 

“Yes, we do. And we're going to use it,” Rose added assuredly.

 

They met Jocelyn Knight at the gate where she was waiting for them.

 

“Alec Hardy,” he introduced himself.

 

“I know,” Jocelyn replied.

 

“This is Rose. Are you going to wait down here, love?” he added.

 

“Yeah, I'll be fine, Alec. Promise,” she answered and gave him a kiss before turning back toward the cliff to watch the ocean.

 

“Ellie. Ellie Miller.”

 

“Come in,” Jocelyn told them and they all went inside, leaving Rose to her thoughts.

 

Rose sat on one of the larger rocks and considered everything that was going on. Alec hadn't answered her question about moving in with her and she was slightly nervous about that. Sure he was planning to stay for a while because of the dangerous situation, but would he stay after all of that? Then there was the matter of the danger itself. Lee knew where she lived and was following Alec all over Broadchurch. He was sure to find Claire eventually and she wondered if Alec had a plan for handling that yet.

 

They hadn't expected the trial. She hoped that it would all be over fairly quickly, since there was a lot of evidence and Joe had confessed when they arrested him. Ms. Knight asking to see them though, had her worried about what problems they might have. Rose knew she would have to be there for Beth and Alec, possibly even Ellie through all of this.

 

There was also the matter of Alec's upcoming surgery. He was terrified by the doctor's warnings that he might not survive. Rose thought maybe she should check with the doctors at Torchwood. Maybe they had some special equipment or medicine that might help improve his chances.

 

Beth was due to have her baby any time now. To think that she would have to deal with the stress of the trial and childbirth at the same time was just cruel, but when had the universe been kind lately? Perhaps by bringing her here to help Alec and Beth, and be helped by them in return. Karma owed them something at some point.

 

Rose was startled out of her thoughts by warm arms sneaking around her waist from behind. “Just me, love,” Alec's gravelly voice sounded in her ear and she relaxed immediately.

 

“How did it go?” Rose asked looking back at Ellie who was standing nearby.

 

“Awful,” she grumbled.

 

They walked down to the sea side to sit on the benches by the beach. Alec sat between the two women as they discussed the meeting with Jocelyn. Ellie was clearly upset and trying to calm herself.

 

“What's the problem?” Rose asked quietly.

 

“After Joe had confessed, I had to explain to Ellie what happened. She was understandably upset and demanded to see him. Ellie lost her temper and attacked him physically. There are photos as well as video evidence of it. Jocelyn feels that the defence will use that information to have his confession discounted from the evidence. They'll say that we intimidated him into confessing,” Alec explained.

 

“Oh, Ellie,” Rose said sympathetically. She knew exactly how she felt in that regard. If the agents at Torchwood hadn't held her back, Rose would have attacked the alien that had killed her husband for sure.

 

“Why didn't you stop me that day?” Miller demanded.

 

“Oh, it's my fault now?” Alec asked defensively.

 

“Why did you let me see him?” she argued.

 

“I felt sorry for you. I didn't expect you to go all, bloody, Bruce Lee on him,” he replied.

 

“Everyone will find out now. Shit! Tom will hear about it. His mum beating up his dad in a police station. Oh, god. What do I do?” she despaired wringing her hands. “I just wanna run away or hide or emigrate or... Oh, god.”

 

“Alright, you two. Dinner at my house. Let's go,” Rose told them as she got up from the bench.

 

“Oh, Rose, I really don't think...” Ellie began.

 

“Nope. You're coming over, Ellie. I've got stuff prepared in the fridge, it just needs to be heated up. We all need something relatively normal to take our minds off of all this,” Rose insisted.

 

They walked back to where they had parked and drove separately to Rose's house. She put the casserole she had prepared into the oven while Alec worked on setting the table.

 

Ellie looked around curiously. “You've been here a while then, Rose?” she asked as she looked at the framed photographs on the mantle.

 

“Ooh, about five months or so. I started working here late last September,” Rose replied and joined her in the living room. “That's mum and dad, with my little brother, Tony,” she said, pointing to the photos. “That one is me with... with John. My husband. He was killed last June.”

 

“I heard about it. I'm so sorry, you must have been devastated,” Ellie said sympathetically.

 

“I was. I had to get out of London. Away from all the memories and everyone just staring all the time. Then I nearly had a heart attack when I met Alec,” she admitted and he smiled at her from the doorway to the dining room.

 

“I can only imagine. It really is uncanny, the similarities,” Ellie told her as she looked closely at the picture of Rose with the Doctor.

 

“Looks, yeah. Down to the freckles. But everything else about them is completely different. I love the differences. It helps me to keep them in their own separate places in my heart. I'll never forget him, I'll never stop loving him, but that doesn't mean that I can't love again,” Rose said assuredly and gave Alec a hug.

 

“After dinner, we can go over those files if you like,” Alec told Ellie.

 

While they were eating, they started to discuss some of the issues at hand. “What's your plan for Ashworth, Alec? You've been waiting for him to come after Claire, so you have to have some kind of plan,” Rose questioned.

 

“Claire needs to meet Ashworth,” he replied around a bite of casserole. “I wanna put them together.”

 

“And you don't see that as a risk?” Ellie asked skeptically.

 

“No. No, it's not a risk, it's an opportunity,” he informed her. “It's only gonna come once.”

 

“Don't you see, Ellie. If they've been hiding something together, this is when they're going to talk about it. We need to use this to our advantage,” Rose added.

 

“Do it officially. Talk to Jenkinson or one of your old bosses,” Ellie insisted.

 

“Nobody cares, Miller. That case is tainted. Nobody wants to go near it. That's my failing. I've got to put it right,” Alec told her firmly. Rose took his hand and squeezed it supportively.

 

“What if he didn't do it? What if you're wrong?” Ellie questioned.

 

“I've got all the files here, Ellie. We don't have to talk to Claire tonight. Let's look over it all and you can draw your own conclusions about it. I've tried, but this isn't the kind of work that I did with Torchwood. I'm trying to draw some connections, my husband always said I was good at that. Let's see what you come up with and we'll talk to Claire tomorrow,” Rose negotiated.

 

“Alright, I'll take a look,” she acquiesced.

 

It took about an hour of going over the files before Ellie agreed that if Ashworth wasn't responsible, he was at least involved in some way. She promised to help them convince Claire to meet with Ashworth and went home for the evening.

 

Alec and Rose prepared for bed as they often did when they spent the night together. But somehow, it felt different this time and Rose remembered what she had asked him earlier. He never did answer her. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before curling up next to him under the duvet.

 

“You never did answer my question, Alec,” she said softly, almost afraid of his response.

 

He turned to face her lying next to each other on the bed. “About moving with you, yeah?” he questioned and she nodded. “I don't know. I mean, are you sure, Rose?”

 

“Alec, I feel safer with you here. You help me with the nightmares and I hope I help with yours. I worry about your heart condition when you're all alone. What if something happened and there was no one around to call an ambulance or something? Most important though, is that I love you, Alec,” she explained honestly, stroking the back of his hand with her fingers.

 

“Alright, love. You've made a very solid argument for your case. It's very difficult to refute your logic,” he replied with a smirk.

 

“I learned to argue from the best of them. You haven't met my mum, yet,” she teased and threw one of her legs over his hip playfully.

 

Alec rolled onto his back and grasped her hips to steady her as she sat on top of him. His fingers played along the edge of her knickers as her sleep shirt rode up. “I'm sure I can only escape that fate for so long. Although, she sounded rather pleased with how well I've been taking care of you when we spoke over the phone,” he responded.

 

“I suppose, if you keep me happy, she'll be pretty happy,” Rose told him with a smile.

 

“So, what would be the best way to make you happy tonight, love?” he asked suggestively.

 

“Mmm, I have a few ideas,” she sighed and pulled her shirt over her head, tossing it behind her.

 

His hands slid up her sides slowly from her hips to her now naked breasts and she closed her eyes as he squeezed them gently. She rolled her hips against his where she could feel him getting harder through his pyjama bottoms. He groaned at the friction she provided and pinched her nipples in retaliation. She tugged at the waistband and they both stripped down to nothing rather quickly after that.

 

Rose retrieved a condom from the nightstand and they were quickly falling over into the blissful glide of their bodies against each other. Her lips pressed against his as his tongue found its way into her mouth as if tasting her. His hands squeezed her arse as he pulled her against him forcefully. Rose gasped when her body clenched around him, and called his name breathlessly.

 

“Oh, Rose,” he groaned and flipped their positions so that he was on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, her heels digging into his arse to urge him on. Alec began pounding into her so fiercely that Rose started to worry about his heart. It wasn't long though until his rhythm faltered and he moaned loudly as he pressed into her through his release.

 

Something felt different when he rolled off of her, however. They looked at each other with some concern when they realized that the condom had broken.

 

“These things happen, love. I'm sure everything will be fine,” Rose assured him and after cleaning themselves off, they both snuggled together closely and fell asleep.


	12. The Trial Begins

Chapter 12 – The Trial Begins

 

 

Ellie met them after work the next day and they went over to Claire's to convince her to meet with Lee. They were still debating where the meeting should take place, but Rose was working on getting some discreet surveillance devices from Torchwood. They would be undetectable by Claire or Lee and whatever was discussed could be vitally important for them later on.

 

They all sat together in the kitchen and Rose made tea as Alec discussed the meeting with Claire. “You risked everything for me and I let you down,” Alec told her.

 

“Yes,” she agreed.

 

“But there are two families back in Sandbrook. The Gillespies still don't know who killed their daughter. The Newburys don't even have a body,” Alec told her.

 

“Why is this on me?” she argued.

 

“'Cause he trusts you,” he insisted.

 

“Don't make me see him,” Claire pleaded.

 

“We'll be there; we'll protect you,” Alec promised.

 

“No, I can't go back into that, please,” she continued to argue.

 

“Come on, get your coat,” Ellie said suddenly and stood up from the table.

 

“What for?” Claire questioned.

 

“Miller?” Alec asked, not sure what her plan was with this.

 

“Ignore him. We're gonna get some air. Come on,” Ellie told her.

 

The two of them left the house, leaving Rose and Alec on their own. “What is she doing?” he asked frustratedly.

 

“Trust her, Alec. She's your friend and you wanted to get her help. Now you have to trust that she has a plan for this as well. She saw all of the same files that you showed me, she knows what's going on. I think she is more likely to gain Claire's trust away from us, just like you didn't think she would trust me because I'm so close to you. So let Ellie do the job you asked her to do,” Rose told him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

 

Alec sighed and kissed her forehead. “You're right. Let's see if we can't find that letter that Miller told me about in the car the other day,” he suggested.

 

They went into the spare room where Ellie had slept when they all spent the night. In the wardrobe, they found a white envelope, addressed to Claire, wrapped in a handkerchief. Inside the envelope, was a dried, pressed bluebell.

 

“Ok, love, explain the connection. I know I saw those wheels turning when she first mentioned it,” Rose said as she tapped the side of his head playfully. “What have bluebells got to do with the murder?”

 

“I don't know for sure. But the area near where I found Pippa's body in the river, was covered in bluebells,” he told her.

 

“Really? So Claire definitely knows something about Pippa's murder. Whoever sent this meant it as some kind of message to her about it, yeah?” Rose suggested.

 

“Probably, but who sent it? And what kind of message was it they were sending?” he wondered. “Let's get out of here. Miller can call me when she's gotten somewhere with Claire. Did Moore approve your time off for the trial?”

 

“Yeah, and for after your surgery too. With you away from teaching over there, they've just put the whole program on hold for now,” Rose answered, happy to be able to spend the next several weeks just helping him to solve the case that had nearly destroyed him completely.

 

“Let's go pick up the rest of my things from my place. I have to turn the keys back in to the landlord so he can get the door fixed in time to rent it out next month,” he said as he tucked the letter into his pocket.

 

Rose hummed happily at the idea that he would be officially living with her and out of the silly little place on the water. His past experiences and his nightmares had him terrified of water, it couldn't be very therapeutic to have the ocean just steps from his front door.

 

After taking care of everything with his old place, they had snuggled up on the sofa to eat take out food and watch telly. Alec and Rose only realized that they had fallen asleep when they were awoken by a knock on the door. Rose shook her head as she got up to answer it and found Ellie standing outside.

 

“She'll do it. Claire's agreed to meet him,” Ellie told them from the doorway.

 

“Oh, man. I could kiss you,” Alec told her in relief.

 

“No thanks. I'll leave that to you two. Just promise me that she'll be safe and you won't do anything reckless,” she insisted.

 

“She'll be absolutely safe, Ellie. We promise,” Rose assured her.

 

“Nothing reckless, she'll be safe,” Alec added when Miller looked to him for the same promise.

 

“Right then, goodnight,” she said as she walked back to her car.

 

“See you,” Alec called after her.

 

“Guess we'd better think of where we're going to set up this meeting, love,” Rose told him as she closed the door and locked it for the night.

 

###########################################

 

Rose sat with Alec and Ellie outside the courtroom when the trial began. She had checked with Beth before they went in, the trial would go on for days and none of them would be in there for the whole thing. There was a small café in the building, so for now, Alec, Rose, and Ellie sat together and drank tea while they waited.

 

“I can't believe we have to be here until we give evidence, it could be days. I'll go mad,” Ellie grumbled. “Are you listening to me?” she complained as she saw him staring at someone on the lower level.

 

Rose and Ellie noticed that Lee was waiting casually and staring up at them. “Did you want me to...” Rose began, but Alec squeezed her hand and shook his head.

 

Alec walked down to talk to Lee, staying clearly in site of the ladies upstairs. “She'll see you. I decide when, where, and for how long. I'll pick you up from an agreed location. I'll text you the details,” Alec told him curtly.

 

“So she's been with you all along,” Lee sneered.

 

“It won't be a long meeting and I'll be watching,” Alec informed him.

 

“You don't control us,” Lee threatened.

 

“No,” Alec said and turned back to the staircase where he saw that Rose and Ellie had come down to meet him.

 

“See you later, then?” Ashworth called after him before he turned to leave.

 

“Are you alright?” Ellie asked him.

 

“I need you to do something for me,” he replied.

 

“Do what?” she questioned.

 

They went back to sit with their tea and he explained, “I want to have their meeting be at your house, here in town. Can you go and check on the property, make sure everything is clear and secure there?”

 

“I can't leave, Alec. I'm supposed to be here if they call me,” Ellie argued.

 

“I'll cover for you. Rose doesn't know the place and Ashworth has as good as threatened her, so I don't want to send her there instead,” he insisted.

 

“Alright, but if I get in trouble because I'm not here...” she told him.

 

“It'll be fine,” he responded and waved her off.

 

It was a few minutes later that she called. “Has anyone noticed that I'm not there?” she asked him.

 

“They came over, I said you'd gone to the loo. You won't be called for days. Are you there yet?” he asked her.

 

“I'm not sure about this,” she told him warily.

 

“I need to know what he says, we have got one opportunity and we need to be all over it,” Alec responded.

 

“I think he's tipped you over the edge. Why here? Why not meet in a hotel room or a park?” she asked.

 

“We need to control access front and back. It has to be somewhere we know the layout. It's the best place, it's a totally neutral location,” Alec argued.

 

“Not for me, it's not,” Ellie grumbled. “It's just, I've never been back in.”

 

“Alec, love, they're calling you,” Rose interrupted.

 

“Oh, I'm being called. Bloody hell, it would be now. I'll come when I'm done,” he told Ellie as he rang off.

 

Alec entered the court room and Rose sat with the rest of the people watching the proceedings. Jocelyn questioned him first, asking him to describe the events of the arrest. He honestly and calmly described how he had gone to Mr. Miller's house, by following the signal on Danny's phone. It was then that Joe had admitted that he didn't want to hide anymore and did not resist arrest.

 

The defence was not so kind in their questioning of him. “You coerced Joe Miller into saying he killed Daniel Latimer, didn't you, DI Hardy?” Ms. Bishop accused.

 

“No. I found him in the shed with the phone, and he confessed, as I have recorded in my notes,” Alec replied.

 

“I suggest that Joe Miller found Daniel Latimer's phone and was about to report it to the police when you arrived alone and jumped to a false conclusion because it suited your purposes,” she continued.

 

“What purpose would that be?” he asked.

 

“You were under pressure. You needed a result, didn't you?” she suggested.

 

“There's always pressure to find a killer,” he replied.

 

“Hadn't you just been labelled Britain's worst cop by the national press?” Bishop asked pointedly.

 

Alec nearly rolled his eyes, but simply responded, “One paper.”

 

“Are we letting the media judge this trial? Or are we sticking to the facts?” Ms. Knight argued, rising from her seat.

 

“Stick with the events of the arrest, Ms. Bishop,” the judge instructed.

 

“Absolutely,” Bishop agreed. “Let's move to the station. When was a doctor called for Mr. Miller?” she asked.

 

Alec sighed, knowing this would be the worst part to explain. “I believe it was around 2:15 pm.”

 

“Why did you call a doctor?”

 

“Mr. Miller had sustained an injury,” he replied, addressing the jury.

 

“Injuries, plural. He sustained a broken rib and bruising to the neck, chest, and torso. Correct?” she clarified.

 

“Yes.”

 

“How did he get these injuries?” she insisted. Alec hesitated and she asked again, “DI Hardy, how did the defendant sustain injuries while in custody at Broadchurch police station?”

 

“After DS Miller learned of her husband, the defendant's, confession, she asked to see him,” Alec explained.

 

“Against allowed procedure,” Bishop interjected.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Who allowed this visit?” she asked.

 

“I did. I supervised, along with two other officers,” Alec admitted.

 

“What happened?” Ms. Bishop pressed.

 

“DS Miller attacked the defendant,” Alec told them.

 

“She kicked the living daylights out of him, didn't she?” she said, somewhat more dramatically. “And you, you just stood there and watched, didn't you?”

 

“No. As soon as she started attacking him, I called in other officers and they removed DS Miller. It was my error. It had been... a long and emotional investigation,” he said in their defence.

 

“How many other times was the defendant beaten while in custody?” she asked.

 

“None,” he insisted.

 

“Did you use violence against the defendant at the house in order to get him to make a confession?” she suggested.

 

“Absolutely not,” he replied.

 

“Well why should we believe you? An officer who, by his own admission, stood by and watched as a colleague beat up a suspect,” she accused further.

 

“No, that's not how it happened,” he told her.

 

“My Lady, the defence applies to have the defendant's confession excluded pursuant to Section 76 and 78 of PACE,” Bishop announced.

 

“The confession is on camera,” Ms. Knight argued. “The injuries were sustained after he confessed.”

 

“We cannot discount the possibility that the injuries were sustained before his arrival at the police station,” Bishop countered.

 

The judge sat and considered the information carefully for a moment before responding, “I agree with the defence. I am minded to exclude the confession from evidence. Members of the jury, you are to disregard it entirely.”

 

Alec locked his gaze with Joe Miller's for a moment before Joe looked down, nervously. Joe's confession had been the most important thing in convicting him. Alec couldn't help but blame himself for allowing the attack to happen. He knew that Ellie had been terribly emotional, but felt that his friend was owed the chance to face him.

 

Rose and Alec were able to leave the courthouse, then. Rose drove them over to Ellie's house, with all of her Torchwood equipment in a case in the backseat. Miller was waiting for them outside as they pulled up.

 

“Well, what happened?” she asked them.

 

“The confession's been excluded,” he informed her regretfully. “Sorry, Miller.”

 

“Right,” she replied, clearly distraught by the news.

 

Rose placed her hand supportively on Ellie's shoulder for a moment.

 

“It's done. It's gone. Nothing to be done. Try not to think about it. You go fetch Claire,” he told her, hoping that she could put the things that couldn't be changed behind her and move on to the situation at hand. “Go on,” he added as she handed him the keys to the house and he thanked her before she went to her car.

 

#########################################

 

Rose immediately set to work placing the tiny cameras and microphones that she had around the living room. The information would be sent back to her laptop which they would set up in the kitchen to monitor and record everything. As she set up the computer, Alec went to meet Ashworth up the road, where they had agreed. She felt safe enough, knowing that Lee wouldn't be sneaking up on them this time.

 

Alec was back with Lee before Ellie and Claire got there. Rose stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the front hall with her arms crossed over her chest as Alec closed the door behind them.

 

“Give me your coat,” Alec told him. Ashworth laughed as if it were all some kind of joke, but handed it over to him. Alec tossed it over the bannister of the stairs saying, “I'll keep the coat.”

 

“Do you wanna pat me down as well?” Lee joked.

 

“Yeah, if you're offering,” Hardy replied and did just that. He found a Swiss Army knife in the pocket of his jeans, but that was all.

 

“You haven't made her wear a wire or anything, have you?” he questioned.

 

“No. Front room,” Alec responded with a nod toward where the meeting would take place.

 

There was a bit of discussion as Ellie arrived with Claire and they allowed the couple some privacy by closing the living room door. Ellie stayed outside in the front of the house, while Alec joined Rose in the kitchen. Of course, Rose was monitoring everything from her laptop in the kitchen.

 

Alec was on the phone with Ellie outside. “Course she's safe, we're recording everything,” he said into the phone. “Rose got some special equipment from Torchwood. We've got it covered. I'm telling you now,” he added and his face then turned to one of concern.

 

“God those two are disgusting,” Rose commented as she watched Claire make out with the man she'd been adamant about not wanting to see again on the camera feed. “What is it, Alec?” she asked when she noticed him straining to listen to his phone. She watched him as he tried to get Ellie's attention on the phone repeatedly.

 

“Shit! Beth's outside with Ellie. Get out there, love,” he told her.

 

Rose ran to the front door and noticed on the way that the door to the living room was slightly open. “Alec, they just ran for it!” she called back behind her.

 

Outside, Beth was pushing Ellie. “You knew that if you beat him up, kick the shit out of him, it would give him a chance to get off,” she accused.

 

“God, no!” Ellie argued.

 

“He's not gonna walk. He's guilty. We all know it,” Beth told her forcefully. She gasped and looked down as her trousers were suddenly dripping wet down her legs. “Oh! Oh shit!”

 

“Beth! Oh my god, Beth,” Rose called as she came out of the house and ran to her friend.

 

“See what you've done?” Beth shouted angrily at Ellie.

 

“Come on, Beth. I'll get you home. Ellie, you'd better help Alec, Claire and Lee pulled a runner,” Rose told her as she supported Beth to walk back to her house.

 

“Claire!” Alec shouted as he ran out of the house. “Shit. Shit. Where is he?”

 

“Alright, love. You and Ellie go look. I'm getting Beth home,” Rose informed him as well while Beth waddled awkwardly back through the gate at the end of the street.

 

She ignored the rest of their heated discussion and focussed on Beth.

 

“How could you be with her, Rose? You know what she's done!” Beth questioned fiercely.

 

“She didn't do it, Beth. You know that,” Rose replied calmly.

 

“Ellie knew. How could she not know?” Beth insisted.

 

“Do you really want to have that conversation now, Beth? Because I could go over the list of things in your house that you didn't know about, but I think we have more important things to worry about, yeah?” Rose suggested.


	13. Finding Claire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading! This story has gotten such a good response from all the sites where I'm posting it and I really appreciate it. I LOVE Broadchurch and I LOVE Alec and every story that I read and write always includes Rose Tyler, so this was something that I just had to do after season 2 came out. Please review!! And tell your friends!!

Chapter 13 – Finding Claire

 

 

Alec ran through the neighbourhood, looking for any sign of Claire and Lee. Even the few people that were out in their yards hadn't seen anyone go by. He went back to the Miller house when he gave up on finding them on foot. When he got there, Ellie was looking at the recorded feed on Rose's laptop.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked her.

 

“Checking the cameras. This is some really high tech equipment. What did Rose do at Torchwood?” she asked curiously.

 

“You were out front, why didn't you see them?” Alec shouted, not in the mood for casual conversation at the moment or planning to share Rose's top secret work.

 

“I had Beth to deal with,” she replied indignantly.

 

“What is the point of you, Miller?” he shouted.

 

“What?” she responded, disbelieving that he could be blaming her so fiercely.

 

“Where are Rose's keys? I'm sure she left them here,” he said as he searched through the bags she had brought.

 

“You're not supposed to drive. What are you gonna do anyway?” Ellie argued.

 

“I'm gonna look for them because you didn't do what we agreed. Here they are!” he cried as he gathered up all of Rose's things into her bag to take back to the car with him. He didn't have time to collect all the cameras, but they could get those later.

 

“No, this is not my fault. Don't put this on me. I am sick of everyone putting their shit on me and I'm not responsible for it. I'm sick to the back teeth of taking flack for stuff I haven't done!” Ellie shouted in frustration.

 

“Rose will come get the cameras later,” he told her as he was leaving, not in the mood to deal with her outburst at the moment and not really sure what he could say to her about it anyway.

 

“I hope you bloody well crash and have a heart attack while you're crashing!” she called after him.

 

Alec tossed the bag into the back seat before climbing behind the wheel and contemplating where to look. He struggled with shifting the gears a bit as it had been a while since he had driven, but was soon on his way through the surrounding streets.

 

“Think, think, think. Where would you take her? Where would you go?” he whispered to himself, wishing that Rose was with him to help him think. She had told him that her husband used to praise her for being able to make observations and connections that others had missed and Alec saw that clearly in her work on this so far. He knew though, that Beth needed her more right now, so he was on his own.

 

Alec decided that his best bet for the moment was to check the house where Claire was staying. It was one of the only places that Claire was remotely familiar with in the area since she was hiding from everyone. When he got there, he was slightly relieved to find the door unlocked, meaning she was probably there.

 

“Claire! Claire!” he shouted for her.

 

He was shocked when Lee grabbed him and pinned him on the floor, pressing his foot against Alec's chest. “Where is she?” he grunted.

 

“Where is who?” Lee snarled back, stepping harder near Alec's throat.

 

“Where is Claire? What have you done with her?” Alec shouted back as much as he could while struggling to breathe from the floor.

 

“We're not suspects. We're not prisoners,” Ashworth told him.

 

“Get off him!” Claire called as she entered the room and saw Alec on the floor. She helped him up when Lee backed away.

 

“You alright?” he asked Claire worriedly.

 

“Course she's alright,” Ashworth interjected as if the thought of him harming her were ridiculous.

 

“I want you out,” Alec demanded.

 

“Or what? You'll call the police?” Lee questioned angrily.

 

“Out now!” Alec shouted as he tried to catch his breath.

 

“You don't set how long I spend with my wife,” Lee replied and pulled Claire in for a kiss. As Lee held her face, she looked at Alec with wide, pleading eyes. He didn't believe that she really needed help though or she would have shouted for help and not run off with Lee so willingly earlier. Lee released her and looked at Alec fiercely. “Got it? Now, I will tell you everything that you missed at Sandbrook when you stop pissing me about.” Lee turned back to Claire before leaving to say, “I'll call you, babe.”

 

They both watched as Lee stalked out of the house. Alec took another moment to catch his breath before turning his anger onto Claire. “What the hell were you doing?!” he shouted in her face.

 

He went to the living room and paced angrily until she entered the room and sat on the couch. “Why the hell did you go with him?” Alec asked her pointedly.

 

“Because I was terrified. I haven't seen him in a year and a half and I did what he told me to do,” she replied.

 

“You should have called me,” he told her, his tone harsh since he knew that her fear was not of Lee, but of being found out.

 

“Oh, yeah! Hang on, Lee, love. I'm just gonna give Alec a ring. Tell him where I am,” she countered sarcastically.

 

“So what, did you just jump out a window?” he questioned, incredulous that she would run off with the man she claimed she wanted protection from.

 

“Ran across a few gardens and flagged down the first taxi we saw,” she replied, brushing off his concern.

 

“And you brought him here? The one place he doesn't know about,” Alec argued her logic.

 

“I had no choice. There was a chance to leave and he dragged me along with him,” she told him.

 

“You say you want protection from him. Tell me all these heartbreaking stories. How about the truth for once, yeah?” Alec challenged.

 

“You don't trust me to tell the truth now?” Claire asked.

 

Alec looked at her, daring her to keep up her act as he pulled the envelope from his pocket that they had found there before. “What's this?”

 

“Dunno,” she replied.

 

“Yeah? Don't lie to me, Claire,” he demanded as he opened the letter to reveal the pressed flower inside.

 

“It's a bluebell,” she stated plainly. “It was sent to me like that. To an old post office box I used to use when I did mail-order hairdressing products.” She flopped onto the sofa, frustratingly seeming not to know what to say next.

 

“Who sent it?” he ordered.

 

“I dunno,” she replied quickly.

 

“What does it mean? Why did you keep it?” he pressed, his police interrogation skills coming to the fore.

 

“So you'd have something to find when you went sneaking through my cupboards!” she responded angrily. “I don't want to talk to you. Get out.”

 

“Claire, if there is anything you've not told me, about what happened with you and Lee, about Sandbrook, now is the time,” he insisted.

 

She stared at him a moment before responding, “I have told you everything. Get out.”

 

Alec tucked the envelope back into his pocket and went back to Rose's car. He sent her a text message to call him when she had a chance and drove back to their house for the time being. He sent another text to Miller, letting her know that he had found Claire and she was at home.

 

###################################

 

Rose tried calling Mark several times while helping Beth walk back to her house, but every time, it kept going to voicemail. “Why can't that bloody wanker answer his phone once in a while?” she grumbled, knowing that he had been doing that to Beth a lot lately.

 

“Wish I knew what was up with him lately. Nige called looking for him the other day when he had told me they were supposed to be off on a job together,” Beth told her, then turned to lean her hands on Rose's shoulders as she breathed through another contraction.

 

“Alright. It's alright, just keep breathing, Beth. You're doing great,” she said soothingly.

 

“You don't think he's going off with Becca again, do you?” Beth questioned worriedly when she could talk again. She had confided in Rose about what Mark had done the night Danny was killed.

 

“No, Beth. Don't worry about that now, don't even think it. Don't you worry about Mark or Ellie or the trial. You just concentrate on that lovely little baby that's coming to meet us all, yeah?” Rose told her, hoping to keep her as calm as possible.

 

They had to stop for a few more contractions before getting into the house and Beth stopped to lean against the back of the sofa as Rose rushed up to the bedroom to make sure that everything was ready for her. Chloe came in the front door, just as Rose was coming back to help Beth upstairs.

 

“Mum?” she called when she heard Beth breathing heavily. “Rose, what's..?”

 

“You're getting a new baby brother or sister today, Chloe. Can you help me get her up to her room?” Rose told her with a slightly nervous smile.

 

Chloe helped her mother get changed into clothes for the birthing pool while Rose called the midwife and tried Mark a few more times. The midwife was on her way and Mark still wasn't answering, so she took a moment to call Alec.

 

“Rose, is everything alright?” he asked as soon as he answered.

 

“Beth's doing fine. Chloe's here, but Mark's not answering his phone again. Midwives are on their way, but I'm going to stay, at least until Mark gets here, yeah?” she reported.

 

“Of course, love. She's your best friend, you should be there. Claire took Lee to the house after they ran off. Not sure what to make of that. Your car is here, at home. I took your laptop and things from Ellie's, but I wasn't sure where all the cameras and things were, so you'll have to get those later,” he told her.

 

“That's fine. I've gotta go help Beth for now, but there should be leftovers in the fridge. Love you,” she said as she listened to Chloe helping her mum breathe through another contraction.

 

“Love you too. Call me if you need anything,” he replied and they rang off.

 

Rose had been there with her mum when Tony was born, so she had some idea of what to expect during labour, even if Jackie had insisted on being in hospital and having an epidural. Beth had also told Rose some of the things she had learned from her past pregnancies and books she'd read. Rose knelt next to Beth to take the hand Chloe wasn't holding while Beth shouted in pain during another contraction.

 

“I'll get it,” Chloe said when the doorbell rang and ran from the room. “Midwife's here!” she called from downstairs a moment later.

 

“Do you want me to stay with you, Beth?” Rose asked her.

 

Beth nodded and held Rose's hand tightly. Her eyes were clenched shut and she was panting through a contraction, but it was clear that she wanted Rose to stay and support her since Mark wasn't there to fulfill the role of supportive dad.

 

Mark didn't get home until after midnight. Beth was furious, of course, but they urged Rose to get back home as soon as he arrived. Rose walked home, despite the late hour, wary of her surroundings since she knew that Ashworth was watching them both.

 

#############################################

 

Alec studied the Sandbrook files again as he ate dinner and waited for some news from Rose. He added the envelope with the bluebell inside to the pile of notes and photographs, hoping that they would find the connection at some point. His mobile rang then, Ellie's number showing on the call display.

 

“Yeah,” he said into the phone.

 

“Thanks for the text,” she told him, much calmer than the last time they had spoken.

 

“Well, thought you should know I found her,” he replied.

 

“Ok, well, at least she's safe. What are you gonna do now?” Ellie asked.

 

“I dunno. Claire wouldn't talk to me. I'm gonna need you to talk to her,” Alec informed her.

 

“That can wait. Have you heard anything about Beth?” she wondered.

 

“Rose is with her and Chloe. She said she'll stay until they can find Mark at least. I'll see you at the court in the morning,” he answered.

 

“Yeah, alright,” she said and he ended the call.

 

Alec apparently fell asleep at the table because the next thing he knew, Rose was waking him up from where he was lying on the files.

 

“Hey, sleepyhead, you didn't need to stay up,” she told him with a smile.

 

“I wasn't... I mean, bloody hell, why am I so tired?” Alec grumbled and rubbed his eyes.

 

“Come on, love, let's get to bed. You've got to be back at the trial in the morning,” Rose said as he pulled him with her to the bedroom so they could both get some rest.

 

 


	14. Accusations

Chapter 14 - Accusations

 

The next morning, Rose called Beth to find that they'd had a healthy baby girl. Beth planned to be in court despite the fact that she would be taking painkillers all day. Rose offered to watch the baby for her but was assured that Chloe would be fine with that. Alec had the Sandbrook files spread out all over the dining room table still and was studying them.

 

“If you're hoping that something new is going to suddenly appear on those papers, I think you might be fooling yourself,” she teased.

 

“I know. I've got to be missing something, Rose. The answer has to be here, somewhere,” he replied in frustration.

 

Rose stood behind him and massaged his tense shoulders. He groaned appreciatively. “You're answering questions about the arrest again today, yeah?” she asked.

 

“Yeah. I just wish we could put all of this behind us,” he said and rubbed his eyes.

 

“We'd best get ready then. Come on, love. I've got a nice hot shower with your name on it,” Rose told him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

 

“Mmm. Only if your name is on it as well,” he growled as he got up quickly and pulled her against him.

 

Rose giggled and ducked out of his embrace, dashing toward the bathroom as he chased her playfully. Their shared shower took slightly longer than was strictly necessary, but they were ready to get back to the trial in plenty of time. Alec dressed in his usual suit and Rose looked professional in a black skirt and pink blouse.

 

When they arrived at the courthouse, the Latimers were already there. Chloe had the baby wrapped up in a blanket and Rose spent a few minutes cooing over her before they all made their way into the trial.

 

Ms. Knight asked Alec questions about Danny's mobile and email communications with Joe Miller. Alec calmly confirmed that the mobile had been given to Danny by Mr. Miller, the only number that had ever called or sent texts to the phone was Joe's mobile, and that Joe's computer had an email account used only to send emails to Danny.

 

The defence insisted that there was no proof that Mr. Miller was necessarily the one to have sent the communications as the computer was the family computer and not a private one and anyone else could have picked up his phone and used it instead. It seemed like a stretch to Rose, but she knew that they had to try and refute the evidence against their client or they didn't have any hope at all of winning. They even went to the point of suggesting that Ellie might have been able to send the emails.

 

Alec was calm the entire time that he was in the courtroom, but his frustration exploded as soon as they were walking out in the common area. “Those barristers, who are they? They've never done anything of worth. They just stand there sniping,” he ranted and Rose squeezed his hand supportively as she tried to keep up with him.

 

Ellie watched nervously as they approached and she overheard him. “What's been going on in there?” she asked, glancing between them.

 

“The whole system stinks. This is how people like Ashworth get let off while decent people get treated like shit having aspersions cast on them,” he continued as Ellie got up from where she had been drinking coffee and dashed to keep up with Alec and Rose.

 

“Aspersions about who? Tell me,” Ellie called after him.

 

“I can't, not until you've given evidence,” he told her more quietly.

 

“So, shut up, then. You're making me nervous,” Ellie responded.

 

“Alec, love, they're grasping at straws. The jury won't actually believe the drivel she's suggesting,” Rose reassured him.

 

“Oh, I wish that were true,” he grumbled. “Ellie, I need you to be Claire's best friend right now. Otherwise Ashworth will work his way back in. So, go and see her. Find out, is he contacting her, is she contacting him. Are you listening to me?” he asked, noticing her looking off at someone else.

 

“Bob, what are you doing here? I didn't know they'd called you in,” Ellie said to a policeman that was standing at the top of the staircase.

 

“I'm not here for that,” he sighed reluctantly. “There's been an allegation made against you, sir. For harassment, from a Lee Ashworth. Said you imprisoned and physically attacked him. You're gonna need to come with me,” the officer told Alec.

 

“Imprisoned? That's ridiculous!” Rose argued, but Alec put a hand on her shoulder to urge her to calm down about it.

 

“I'll go with you, just a moment,” Alec told the officer, who nodded. Alec turned to the ladies with him. “Ellie, do what you can with Claire. Rose, love, I've got to go play this out. He's trying to get me into trouble so that I can't keep investigating. I'll call you as soon as it's taken care of.”

 

“I don't like this,” she grumbled.

 

“I know,” he replied and gave her a soft kiss before heading off with the policeman.

 

Rose watched through the glass doors as Alec got into the car with the officer and they drove away. “This is completely ridiculous. Stupid bloody apes!” Rose ranted angrily.

 

“Hey now, calm down,” Ellie told her. “He knows what he's doing and it's probably that kind of outburst that he's hoping to avoid by not taking you along for that.”

 

“I know,” she sighed. “For someone who teaches diplomacy, I tend to get a bit emotional when things turn personal. I'm gonna go check on Beth and the baby. Let us know how things go with Claire, yeah?”

 

“Sure, I'll see you later,” Ellie replied and went to her car.

 

############################################

 

“I can't believe you're making me do this,” Alec grumbled to Bob as they trudged along the dirt road to where Ashworth was hammering posts into the ground.

 

“It's this or internal affairs,” he replied quietly before they approached Lee. “It's a fraught time for everyone at the moment. So, I wanna see if we can't work this one out?”

 

“Well, he took me to a house and then when I left, he tracked me down and attacked me,” Lee accused.

 

“You attacked me!” Alec argued.

 

“See? This is what he's like,” Lee responded innocently.

 

“What have you got to say for yourself?” the officer asked Alec.

 

Swallowing his pride in the face of Ashworth's gloating smirk, Alec squared his shoulders and announced, “I'm under a lot of pressure currently with the court case. I should not have done what I did.”

 

“Ok,” Lee said as he took a deep drag on his cigarette. Alec was turning to walk away, when Lee added, “Say sorry.”

 

“What?” Alec questioned.

 

“Say sorry,” he repeated slowly.

 

“I'm sorry,” Alec grumbled.

 

“What's that?” Lee asked, leaning forward expectantly.

 

“I'm sorry. I apologize for any error of judgement,” Alec stated more clearly.

 

“Right, so we'll say no more about this,” the officer told them both and walked with Alec back to the patrol car. “Are you coming?” he called after Alec when he kept going past the car.

 

“I'm gonna walk,” he replied and pulled his mobile out of his pocket. He couldn't draw the attention of the police on Claire, so the excuse of trying to protect her wouldn't help matters with Lee's accusations. Alec dialled Rose's mobile and arranged to meet her at the café where they used to spend so much time together.

 

Rose had gotten there long before him, of course, but she had a pot of tea ready and a plate of pastries for them to share as well. She just sat and listened patiently as he vented his frustrations over Lee, Claire, the trial, and people in general. When he was finished ranting about all the stupid, bloody idiots, Rose gave him a small, understanding smile and snuggled into his side.

 

“You know, you make it very difficult to remain angry with the world when you do that,” he told her while wrapping his arm over her shoulders.

 

Rose smiled up at him innocently and teased, “Really?”

 

Alec shook his head in resignation that his girlfriend knew exactly how to pull him out of what had been called his 'brooding bullshit' by so many of the locals. “Let's go home, I feel the need to let out some frustrations by making you scream,” he whispered into her ear, his breath making her shiver.

 

They snuggled together on the sofa when they got home and decided it was as good a place as any. Alec's hands made their way under her shirt as he sucked on her neck. Rose sighed and threw her head back to allow him better access to her neck while burying her hands in his soft hair. When she opened her eyes briefly, she shrieked at the sight of Lee Ashworth standing outside their front window. Alec quickly looked to see what had frightened her and growled angrily at the sight of him.

 

Hardy stormed to the front door where Lee met him, he was carrying a large plastic bag filled with papers. “We've got nothing more to say,” Alec snarled at him.

 

“I've got plenty to tell you,” Lee insisted as he brought the bag with him to the door.

 

Alec looked at Lee incredulously as he pushed past him into the house. Rose's face showed her righteous fury at Ashworth's presumptuousness.

 

“How dare you storm your way in here! You go peeking into everyone's windows like that?” she shouted at him.

 

Lee dropped the pile of papers from his bag onto the coffee table, ignoring the dangerously fuming blonde and only addressing Alec. “Notes, interviews, people's movements on that night. I knew you'd never want to clear my name so I started working on it meself. Talking to people,” Lee told him.

 

“And they spoke to you?” Alec asked disbelievingly.

 

“Well, I told them I was you,” he admitted.

 

“What?” Alec shouted.

 

“That's illegal! Impersonating a police officer!” Rose argued.

 

“I know what it's like to be you know,” Lee said accusingly. “Suspicious all the time. Must be really eating away at you? Especially when you're wrong.”

 

“That's it, I'm calling the police,” Rose insisted, digging in her purse for her phone. “You push your way into our home, admit to at least the crime of telling people that you were a police officer, then start accusing...”

 

“Rose, love, calm down,” Alec said as he moved to her side. “Get out of here. Now,” he told Lee firmly.

 

“You missed things,” Lee pressed as he pointed to the pile of 'evidence' on the table.

 

“You need to go. Get out.”

 

“Look at that stuff. Look at the Gillespies. Look at that bloke hanging around the estate,” Lee told him as he backed toward the door.

 

“Why did you send Claire a bluebell?” Alec asked him when he was finally on his way out.

 

“What? How would I do that from France? Do bluebells even grow in France?” Lee questioned before turning and walking away down the street.

 

Alec slammed the door and secured the deadbolt. He leaned against the door frame and lowered his head as he tried to calm himself again.

 

“You think Lee sent her the bluebell?” Rose asked him after a moment.

 

“I don't know,” he sighed and moved to slump heavily onto the sofa. “Maybe. What do you make of this pile of shit?” he asked her with a gesture to the papers Lee insisted on giving them.

 

“Most likely, he's trying to draw attention away from himself. Although, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look at it. If only because in trying to make us look somewhere else, he might inadvertently point out something that we weren't aware was important,” she told him, sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder in thought.

 

“True, but not right now. Let's go to bed where no one will be peeping at us through the windows,” he grumbled and pulled her with him to the bedroom.

 

#############################

 

They met Ellie back at the courthouse the next morning, where Miller proceeded to tell them about the things she had learned from her evening with Claire.

 

“Rohypnol? She definitely said Rohypnol?” Alec asked to confirm this new story.

 

“Yeah. She said she woke up to see him cleaning,” Ellie confirmed as she tossed an alka-seltzer tablet into her bottle of water.

 

“She never said any of that before,” Alec grumbled confusedly.

 

“Oh, why are you being such a fuckwit about this?” Ellie complained.

 

“Sorry?” Alec asked.

 

“She was next door, she had access, her story is inconsistent. This woman you've been protecting, she's a suspect,” Ellie responded.

 

“I know,” Alec admitted.

 

“What?” Ellie gasped.

 

“Of course we knew that, Ellie,” Rose interjected.

 

“You told me you'd been protecting her!” Ellie argued.

 

“I was keeping her safe so she didn't abscond,” Alec explained.

 

“How long have you thought this and why didn't you tell me?” Ellie demanded.

 

“I thought you knew,” Rose replied apologetically.

 

“I just wanted someone to look at it objectively,” Alec explained.

 

“For god's sake!” she huffed.

 

Ms. Knight approached them and Alec nodded to Ellie, “Uh-oh, Miller, I think this could be you.”

 

The barrister stood squarely in front of them and told her, “You're going to be called.”

 

“Right, ok, I've done it before,” she replied quickly.

 

“Not like this. Stay calm, stick to the facts. Don't get drawn into anything else. Don't get emotional,” Ms. Knight insisted.

 

“I know,” she assured her with a small nod, looking decidedly nervous.

 

Rose and Alec sat inside the courtroom while Ellie took the stand. Ms. Knight spoke with her first, asking about her relationship to the defendant as well as with the Latimers. She was already looking teary-eyed before the questions even began regarding the events of the case. The questions then, shifted to asking about how interested Joe was about the investigation, whether she had any reason to suspect him.

 

“Why did you attack him, your husband, in the interview room after his arrest?” Ms. Knight asked her.

 

“Because the man I trusted most in the world had killed the son of our best friend,” Ellie answered tearfully.

 

“So you attacked him not as a policewoman attacking a suspect, but as a wife confronting her husband?” she questioned in the hopes of clarifying the cause of the attack that had made his confession inadmissible.

 

“Yes. The police had nothing to do with it. It was about him and me,” Ellie insisted.

 

“Thank you, PC Miller. I understand how difficult this must be for you,” Ms. Knight concluded and returned to her seat.

 

“It is. It's horrific,” Ellie responded, trying to hold back tears.

 

“How was your sex life, PC Miller?” Ms. Bishop asked as she stood to address Ellie.

 

Ellie stared at her with a look that was a mix of fury and incredulity. “I dunno, normal. How would you describe yours?”

 

“Not frequently enough to be honest. But I'm not in the box,” she replied.

 

“Quite, Ms. Bishop,” the judge interjected, clearly unhappy with this discussion and hoping that they would get to the point soon.

 

“What's she angling at?” Rose whispered to Alec. He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, sensing that this was probably going to be very unpleasant for his friend.

 

“Did you engage in S&M? Bondage? Torture fantasies? Violent role play?” Ms. Bishop prompted.

 

“No, nothing like that,” Ellie replied quickly.

 

“Did your husband use pornography?” she asked.

 

“No. Apart from one time, his mate gave him a DVD. We watched it together and we mostly laughed through it,” she responded honestly, clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

 

“Did it involve children?”

 

“No,” Ellie huffed.

 

“Gay pornography?”

 

“No.”

 

“Did he show a predilection for images of children?” Ms. Bishop questioned, making her point clear.

 

“Not to my knowledge,” she replied.

 

“Did you either as a wife or a police officer ever discover images of children in your husband's possession?”

 

“No.”

 

“Now, would you say that you are a good police officer?” Ms. Bishop asked.

 

“I get the job done,” Ellie responded, glad to be past the discussion of sex for the moment.

 

“I think you're being modest. Until recently, you'd been on a rather strong career path, hadn't you?” she suggested.

 

“I did my best,” Ellie told them.

 

“And yet, as a police officer, you didn't detect any suspicious behaviour from your husband?” she asked.

 

“None,” Ellie sighed.

 

“You didn't spot any such behaviours because your husband didn't kill Danny, did he?” Ms. Bishop insisted, clearly pushing for an emotional response, and accomplishing it.

 

“He did kill Danny. He's not the person I thought he was,” Ellie insisted.

 

“Are you talking as a wife or as a police officer now?” Ms. Bishop questioned, belittling the prosecution's attempts to separate Ellie's private and professional life.

 

“Both,” Ellie told her, anger taking over as she glared at Ms. Bishop.

 

“Did you take a sleeping pill on the night of Danny Latimer's death?”

 

“Yes, I get terrible jet lag. I have them prescribed,” she replied.

 

“You didn't wake up until the next morning, is that correct?”

 

“That's right.”

 

“So, as far as you were concerned, the next morning he'd been there all night,” Ms. Bishop conlcuded.

 

“That's what I thought at the time and it turns out not to have been true. Joe knew I'd taken the pills. He must have planned to meet Danny accordingly,” Ellie explained.

 

“Do you actually know of such a plan?”

 

“No,” she admitted.

 

“Then please, stick to the facts, PC Miller,” Ms. Bishop insisted loudly. Her demeanour turned far more calculating when she asked, “When did you and DI Hardy first start having an affair?”

 

Alec and Rose looked at each other in shock and he adamantly shook his head. Rose looked back at the barrister furiously as she tried to tarnish the reputations of both Alec and Ellie with her accusation.

 

“What?!” Ellie gasped incredulously.

 

“I hope that the affair isn't ongoing, given his current, public relationship. I don't blame you for wanting to hide it. I wouldn't want a jealous Vitex heiress or family breathing down my neck,” Ms. Bishop stated scathingly.

 

Alec gripped Rose's hand tightly, non-verbally urging her not to storm over and punch the woman in the face, as much as he would like to do it himself.

 

“No, we've never had an affair!” Ellie insisted

 

Ms. Knight stood up to address the judge, “My lady, I must protest this blatant slander against Ms. Tyler and her family. She was not in any way involved in the events surrounding this case.”

 

“Sustained. Ms. Bishop get to the point,” she demanded.

 

“Absolutely, my lady,” Ms. Bishop asserted. “The night of your husband's arrest, where were you?”

 

“We'd gone to a hotel because we had to leave our house. I left my kids with my sister 'cause I went to see Beth, Mrs. Latimer,” Ellie explained.

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

“I felt I needed to,” Ellie replied simply.

 

“And then what did you do?” Ms. Bishop asked. It was clear that Ellie suddenly realized how this woman had expected to prove that she and Alec were having an affair. “Where did you go, PC Miller?”

 

“I went to see DI Hardy,” she responded reluctantly.

 

“Where? Where did you go to see DI Hardy?” Ms. Bishop pressed.

 

Alec took Rose's hand in assurance that all of this was completely innocent. Rose knew that he had no reason to hide a previous relationship from her. She was all too familiar with how helpful it could be to talk to a trusted friend when your world was falling apart.

 

“At the Traders Hotel,” Ellie stated, looking decidedly unimpressed.

 

“In his hotel room?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Were you alone?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“How long were you there for?”

 

“I don't know,” Ellie continued her admission.

 

“Well, according to CCTV, you entered the hotel around 11:37 pm and left just after a quarter to two. Over two hours. What did you and DI Hardy do alone in his hotel room for two hours on the night that he'd arrested and you'd beaten up the defendant, your husband?” Ms. Bishop demanded.

 

“We talked,” Ellie told her with a glare.

 

“You talked,” Ms. Bishop sneered. “You left your two children on the night that their father was arrested for well over two hours to go and see DI Hardy in a hotel to talk?”

 

“I needed to make sense of what had happened,” she insisted.

 

“You colluded that night to frame the defendant, your husband, to get him out of the way, because you were having an affair with DI Hardy, didn't you?” she accused.

 

“This is how you think you're gonna win? By twisting the truth and distorting our lives?” Ellie countered.

 

“And isn't it the case that this investigation missed key opportunities and failed to examine leads because it was compromised by your personal liaisons with DI Hardy?” Ms. Bishop continued. “And together, you put an innocent man in the dock?”

 

“No. Totally untrue. And you've got no evidence for this! I am not the guilty one here. I am NOT!” Ellie shouted angrily.

 

“Thank you, PC Miller,” Ms. Bishop said with a patronizing smile.

 


	15. Admissions

Chapter 15 - Admissions

 

 

It was the middle of the night when Alec woke from another nightmare, gasping and coughing violently. Rose rubbed his back as he tried to slow his heart and calm down. Sensing that he was struggling, she jumped over to his bedside table and pressed one of his pills out of the blister pack. He took it gratefully and swallowed it with the cup of water that he kept by the bed.

 

“Ok?” Rose asked, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.

 

He began sobbing then, as he thought about his nightmare again, and Rose crawled back into bed with him so that they could wrap their limbs around each other. He cried into her neck as she rubbed his back and whispered softly to him. They eventually settled back into a light sleep until the alarm sounded and they awoke with their limbs tangled together.

 

“I know your surgery is coming up soon, but maybe you should call your doctor, Alec? It seems like it's getting more frequent, love,” Rose suggested as they were getting ready to go that morning.

 

“Aye. I know,” he replied quietly.

 

Sensing that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, she went to prepare breakfast and tea to take with them to the courthouse. He was on his mobile when he joined her a few minutes later.

 

“Yeah, still holding for Mr. Davies. No, no, I don't want to reschedule. I want to erm, talk to him about an increase in my symptoms. What? Is he some higher mortal who doesn't phone people? My GP? Seriously? For..” he began to curse and hung up the phone on whoever he had been speaking to.

 

There was a knock on the door and Rose handed Alec his travel mug of tea before going to answer it. She was unimpressed to see Olly Stevens on her doorstep.

 

“May I help you?” she asked and crossed her arms over her chest.

 

“I um, came to see DI Hardy. Is he available?” Olly questioned.

 

“Oh god, what do you want?” Alec sighed as he joined Rose at the door.

 

“Lee Ashworth came into our offices the other day. Now, I couldn't place him at first, but then I went back through all the Sandbrook press clippings. It's a bit of a coincidence, you and him both here,” Olly suggested.

 

“Does your editor know you're here?” Alec asked him pointedly.

 

“I'm a bit fed up with the way you talk to me,” he responded harshly.

 

“You're a bit fed up? You show up here, on my doorstep, and start implying who knows what and you get upset that we don't want to start spreading rumours and gossip that you seem to thrive on twisting into all sorts of lies?” Rose argued fiercely.

 

“Is he dangerous? Why's he here? I think you know,” Olly insisted, ignoring Rose completely.

 

“Leave this alone,” Alec replied.

 

“Why? He might have a story to tell. I'm just doing you the courtesy of asking you first,” he said innocently.

 

“Courtesy..!” Rose began but stopped when Alec put his hand on her shoulder.

 

“You people think you're saving the world. You just make it harder to live in. Piss off! Go on,” Alec told him and closed the door in Olly's face before pulling Rose into his arms. “We'd best get going, love. Don't worry about the bloody press.”

 

Rose nodded and went to grab their breakfast and her purse.

 

They met Ellie at the door when she arrived. She told them that Ashworth had spoken to her in the parking lot just then.

 

“He paid for your parking?” Alec questioned incredulously.

 

“He said you slept with Claire Ripley,” she told him, as she avoided looking at Rose beside him.

 

“Why does everyone want to insist that I slept with so many bloody women? Honestly, if my sex life had been half as interesting as everyone suggests it was before I met Rose, my ex-wife probably wouldn't have cheated on me,” he grumbled and Rose squeezed his hand. It didn't really matter to her who he was with before she came along, but the accusations were clearly upsetting him.

 

“We're going up to Sandbrook this weekend, Ellie,” Rose informed her, trying to change the topic slightly. “We're going to look at getting the case reopened and we would like it if you'd come with us.”

 

“What? No, seriously, do you not think I've got better things to do,” she argued.

 

“There is an officer there I can talk to about reopening the case. See the place for yourself. Leave wee...” he began.

 

“Fred,” Rose supplied with an elbow to his side.

 

“Fred with your sister,” Alec continued, nodding.

 

“Oh alright,” she said begrudgingly.

 

“I'll make the arrangements. I can drive, Ellie,” Rose told her as they made their way up to the courtroom.

 

They were all terribly worried when Ellie's sister changed her story when she was questioned that day. Her original statement to the police had stated that she'd seen a man that she couldn't identify on the night of Danny's murder, but on the stand, insisted that she had told the police that she had seen Joe Miller. The defence, of course, called her on changing her story, but she was adamant that the statement had been taken down wrong.

 

When they met her later, she beamed brightly at Ellie, saying, “Come on, how was that? Did I play a blinder, or what?”

 

“I can't even talk to you,” Ellie grumbled.

 

“How helpful do you think it really is to their case when you bring not only your own credibility into question by changing your story, but also the ability of the police officers involved to take an accurate statement?” Rose asked her as they walked past to get some lunch.

 

“I...” Lucy began, but stopped when she saw that they weren't going to listen to any excuses.

 

The afternoon in court went much more smoothly as the prosecution brought in a character witness that used to work with Joe Miller and had witnessed him attacking a man furiously over a parking space one day. Joe had broken three of his ribs and he was bleeding after the attack that required four people to pull him away. It solidified the fact that Joe, who could seemingly be perfectly calm and put together most of the time, had a violent temper when it came to the surface. It concluded the case for the Crown and the trial was set to continue the next week.

 

Alec and Rose visited Claire to inform her that they would be away for the weekend, not wanting her to call them in a panic while they weren't in any position to help. Ellie and Rose waited in the car as he talked with her.

 

“We'll be away one night, maybe two. I've asked Bob from the station to pass by twice a day. This is his number. You call him if you're worried about anything at all,” Alec told her as he handed her the number. “You still mad at me?” he asked as she just stared at him.

 

“What about Ellie? Why can't she stay with me?” Claire asked.

 

“She's coming with us,” he replied.

 

“Oh, dirty weekend away?” Claire suggested and he rolled his eyes.

 

“When I get back, we'll talk about what we do next. Just remember, don't go near him. He's not good for you. Take it, go on. Lock all the doors,” he told her, insisting that she take the card with the number for the police officer that he had asked to keep an eye on her.

 

Rose started the car as he walked back and climbed in next to her. She had set her GPS to direct her to the hotel she had booked in Sandbrook and Alec was fidgeting with the radio. “You could connect my iPod if you can't find anything you like,” Rose suggested.

 

He turned the radio off with a frustrated huff.

 

“Right, so if we're not having music, you can at least tell me your theory. With everything you know, what do you reckon happened at Sandbrook?” Ellie asked him from the back seat, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen.

 

“Someone went into the Gillespie house, abducted both girls. Got rid of the bodies,” he said with a sigh.

 

“Why Lee Ashworth?” Ellie wondered.

 

“Ricky and Cate Gillespie said Pippa always used to like going next door to see Lee,” he explained.

 

“So, why do you say they were abducted then? Might they have been killed while visiting him voluntarily?” Rose asked.

 

“If Ashworth was in their house, there must've been forensics,” Ellie added.

 

“Yeah, there were. Ashworth's DNA was all over the place. I strand of his hair was found on Pippa's pillow,” Alec told them.

 

“What was his argument?” Ellie questioned.

 

“That he'd been in the house plenty of times, which is true, but, he still wouldn't say how the hair got on the pillow. At one stage, he said it had been put there to frame him,” he replied.

 

“By who? This, Ricky, Pippa's dad?” Ellie asked.

 

“That's what Ashworth claimed. But this case, Miller, whenever you think you're getting close, it slips away from you,” he sighed, his shoulders slumping as the stress became even more apparent.

 

“We'll figure it out, love,” Rose told him supportively as she reached over to take his hand.

 

“Is that why it got to you? 'Cause you could never be sure?” Ellie wondered.

 

“I found her. Pippa Gillespie. She was in the river,” he admitted and Rose squeezed his hand tightly, knowing that this experience was the source of his nightmares. “And it was deeper than I thought, I got pulled under. Just managed to get free and carry her body onto the bank. She'd been in there maybe three days. Water rots the body. She was the same age as my daughter,” he explained.

 

They were all barely holding back tears at that point. Alec sighed before continuing, “I can still feel the weight of her, water dripping off her clothes all down me. What sort of a person leaves a child like that?”

 

Ellie sniffled from behind them.

 

“We're going to find out who,” Rose said confidently as she sped them down the highway towards their goal.

 

They were quiet in the car for quite some time as they all absorbed the story that Alec had shared. When they were approaching Sandbrook, he directed Rose towards the Gillespie's house. He wanted to show them where everything had taken place before they went to check in at the hotel.

 

“I keep replaying my evidence over and over, thinking of all the things I should've said differently, all the comebacks I should've thrown at her,” Ellie told them, still beating herself up over how she had handled herself in court.

 

“You did the best you could,” Alec replied.

 

“There's an epitaph: Ellie Miller, she did the best she could,” she whined.

 

“Oh, Ellie. You were under a lot of pressure. It's hard to think of the right things to say in the moment. You could beat yourself up forever over all of the things that you should have done or should have known, but it won't change anything now,” Rose assured her. Her voice shook slightly as she thought about how she had come to learn that lesson and she felt Alec squeeze her shoulder when he noticed the crack in her armour.

 

“What if Joe gets off?” Ellie worried, not seeming to have noticed Rose's pain.

 

“He won't,” Alec assured her.

 

“What if he does?”

 

“He won't, Miller.”

 

“I don't know what I'd do,” Ellie despaired.

 

“First left, second right, love. Down here, on the left,” he told Rose as she drove through the subdivision. “Yeah, this pair here.”

 

“Who lives there now?” Ellie asked him.

 

“The Gillespies own both houses. They rented the one on the right to Lee and Claire. Cate still lives in the one on the left,” he told them when Rose stopped the car in front of the duplex.

 

“She stayed here? Even after the girls were killed?” Rose questioned in shock.

 

“She wanted to be there in case Lisa came back,” Alec answered.

 

“Let's go to the hotel,” Ellie suggested and Rose pulled away, once again following the directions of the GPS.

 

When they arrived, Rose went to the front desk to get them checked in. Unfortunately, they only had one room booked in the computer for all of them.

 

“I'm afraid that isn't acceptable,” Rose told the clerk.

 

“I'm terribly sorry, ma'am, but we don't have any more rooms available. There's just the one,” he replied.

 

“No, you listen to me. I know for a fact that there are always a couple of rooms that are kept free for emergencies. Now, you may not recognize me, but I'm sure you recognize the name, Tyler. My dad is Pete Tyler, owner of Vitex and Director of Torchwood. Now, I would suggest that you find a way to make one of those other rooms available for us, right now,” Rose insisted, putting all of the authority she could muster into the demand.

 

The poor clerk cowered and nodded meekly as he responded, “I'll just need to call my manager, Ms. Tyler.”

 

It took some time, but they managed to get the extra room. There was no way that the three of them could stay together with only one bed and Rose had learned to use the connections she had when she needed to. They walked Ellie to her room and took the other room that was just down the hall for themselves.

 

“So, we're meeting with Tess tomorrow then, yeah?” Rose asked hesitantly.

 

“Aye. Don't worry about her, love. She made her choices and I'm moving on,” he assured her.

 

“What about Daisy though? What if she doesn't like me?” Rose asked as she chewed on her thumb nail nervously.

 

“Rose, stop worrying,” he told her and pulled her into his arms. “She might still be upset about her mother and I separating, but she'll like you. What's there not to like, eh?”

 

“Don't know if I can stop worrying. I'm not looking forward to this, Alec,” she admitted and snuggled into his embrace, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.

 

“I know. Let's try to get some rest and we'll deal with all of that tomorrow, love,” he said and kissed her hair.

 

As they lay in bed together, Rose asked curiously, “Did you ever sleep with Ellie or Claire, Alec? It's alright if you did, I'm just curious, yeah?”

 

“No, love. Not that Claire didn't offer. When she came to me for protection, she was pregnant and wanted an abortion. I went with her to the hospital and took care of her after that, but I never slept with her. I didn't trust her. And Ellie and I aren't like that. You know that,” he answered.

 

They were on their sides, facing each other and he reached up to trace the curves of her face with his fingers softly. Rose smiled at the tickling sensation.

 

“After Tess, I had a hard time with the idea of any of that. Embarrassed myself completely when I asked Becca Fisher one night and she turned me down. Said she was worried I'd have a heart attack or something,” he admitted.

 

“She turned you down? Seriously?” Rose questioned disbelievingly.

 

“You act as if it's a shock that anyone would turn me down, love,” he replied.

 

“It is to me. You're gorgeous, you know. Couldn't keep the girls away from my husband most of the time, but I suppose you don't flirt the way he always did,” she told him.

 

“He flirted with people even when you were together?” he asked in shock.

 

“Yes, well, it was just a part of his personality really. Don't think he realized the way other people saw his behaviour. And sometimes, charming people was the best way to solve the situations we were in,” she said in the Doctor's defense.

 

“Suppose I could see that. If there ever needs to be any charming of people, I'm afraid it'll be down to you now. If there's one thing that I've never been accused of, it's being charming,” he told her and pulled her closer. “Let's get some sleep now, love.”


	16. Meeting the Ex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had me a bit concerned. Let me know if you think I handled the meeting between Rose and Tess alright, please? I'm trying to keep Rose's reactions to her in character and realistic. Huge thanks to my beta, TheDoctorMulder for all her help with this.

Chapter 16 – Meeting the Ex

 

 

“Alright, I want you two to go into Lee and Claire's side,” Alec told Rose and Ellie when they were parked in front of the house.

 

“How are we meant to get in there?” Ellie asked.

 

“No worries,” Rose said as she pulled a small device from her pocket. Alec had been reaching into his own pocket and looked at her curiously. “Something my husband made for me. He used to have something similar, but mine has a lot less settings. Opening locks? No problem.”

 

“Guess we don't need the copy of the key that I made before giving the originals back,” Alec responded.

 

“Nope,” Rose replied with a smile, her tongue peeking out of the side of her teeth.

 

“What is it with you two?” Ellie asked.

 

“You've both read the files. You've met Lee and Claire. Have a look around and see what you think,” he told them.

 

“Exploring is my specialty,” Rose said excitedly.

 

“What are you gonna do?” Ellie asked Alec, resigning herself to illegally searching the house with Rose.

 

“I'm gonna talk to Cate,” he replied and unbuckled his seatbelt before exiting the car.

 

Rose twirled her sonic pen as she led Ellie to the door and let them both inside. There was a large pile of mail on the floor from the mail slot in the door and they had to push it aside to get the door open. Rose noticed crime scene tape still attached to a nearby doorway and dark smudges of dust marking where the police had checked fingerprints in the house. It seemed as though no one had set foot in the space since the police investigation. She and Ellie walked through the house, Rose was careful not to touch anything and Ellie had put on her gloves.

 

They could hear Alec talking with Cate through the wall and kept silent, realizing that she would just as easily hear them. Rose filed away the knowledge that Lee and Claire would have been able to hear their neighbours quite easily. She watched as Ellie took off one of her gloves and rubbed her hand on the hardwood floor. Rose recalled there being something in the huge stacks of papers about Lee having replaced the floor himself. It looked well done, but then, he had been working as a handyman.

 

Rose sonicked the door that led into the backyard and went outside. Ellie followed her and they looked around to see how easy it was to look into the Gillespie's yard from there. The yards were very private, with walls on the outsides and only a low wooden fence between them. There was really very little privacy for the two families. Deciding that there was little else to be found for the time being, Rose and Ellie went back to the car. Alec joined them a few minutes later.

 

“Did you notice anything useful?” Alec asked them as Rose drove to the diner where they had agreed to meet with Alec's ex-wife.

 

“Not much privacy between them,” Rose commented. “We could hear you talking just fine from the other side of the wall.”

 

“Something is nagging at me, but I'm not sure what it is,” Ellie commented.

 

“Well, think on it. For now, let's see if we can't get this case reopened,” he sighed when they arrived at the diner.

 

Alec and Rose sat together on one side of the table as Ellie slid onto the bench on the other side. Tess wasn't there yet, so they just ordered some drinks and waited.

 

“Sorry, sorry! Got held up,” Tess called to them as she hurried toward their table.

 

“No, no, you're fine. We just got here. This is Rose Tyler and that's Miller,” Alec told her.

 

“Hello,” Rose said with a smile as she offered her hand.

 

“The one and only Rose Tyler,” she said as she shook her hand and turned toward the other woman at the table.

 

“Ellie, hi,” she said as she offered her own hand.

 

“I thought I was just meeting Alec and Rose here,” Tess wondered confusedly.

 

“Miller and I work together. Worked together,” he clarified.

 

“Oh, you're Joe Miller's wife. The Broadchurch case,” she realized.

 

“Right, yep,” Ellie admitted quickly.

 

“Well, I feel like I'm playing catch-up here,” Tess sighed as she sat down next to Ellie.

 

“It's about Sandbrook,” he told her and her smile disappeared instantly.

 

“Oh, tell me that's not why you're here,” she groaned. 

 

“Hear me out. Lee Ashworth is back in the country. He's staying near me. There's grounds for reopening the case,” Alec argued.

 

“Don't do this,” Tess countered.

 

“Please, listen. We're finding new evidence from Claire and Lee is downright twitchy about us keeping on this,” Rose insisted.

 

“Don't tell me he's dragging you into this too?” Tess asked frustratedly.

 

“A pressed bluebell sent to Claire Ripley anonymously, plus, Miller, tell her what she told you about that night,” he insisted.

 

“Uh, Claire said that, the night the girls when missing, Lee drugged her with Rohypnol. She slept all night. When she woke up, he was cleaning the place,” Ellie added.

 

“So, Claire Ripley's down there with you, too?” Tess questioned.

 

“She's changed her story,” Alec replied.

 

“Has she made a statement?” Tess asked pointedly.

 

“We were just talking,” Ellie admitted.

 

“Would she give a statement?” Tess insisted.

 

“I dunno, I haven't asked her,” Ellie replied.

 

“Couple of officers, that's all I need. Some surveillance..” Alec began.

 

“Alec, you're not even on active duty!” Tess argued. “Unless we have a genuinely significant new lead, there's just no appetite to...”

 

“At least talk to your superiors,” he interrupted her loudly.

 

“Oi! Stop. Look, this is important. It's important to the families involved and it's important to Alec because he feels responsible for things not getting settled,” Rose interjected on Alec's behalf.

 

“What is wrong with you? How can you imagine I'd want to go back to it after what it did to us?” Tess asked Alec angrily.

 

“Oh god, you're his wife,” Ellie gasped in realization.

 

“Yeah, ex-wife. And don't you dare blame a case for what happened to your marriage,” Rose responded with a glare.

 

“Don't you dare presume to know...” Tess began.

 

“She knows plenty, so you can stop right there, Tess,” Alec interrupted in her defence, placing his arm protectively around her shoulders.

 

“He told me we were meeting the officer who could reopen the case,” Ellie interjected, hoping to change the subject back to the issue of Sandbrook.

 

“Yeah, I could, but I'm not going to,” Tess replied, still glaring at Alec.

 

“A girl's body is still missing. A killer's walking free. There's families who don't have closure and you won't reopen it because of what? Internal politics? Or, or personal inconvenience?” he argued.

 

“Oh, don't take the moral high ground with me, Alec,” Tess countered.

 

“Me take the moral high ground?” he asked incredulously. “You built a bloody house there!”

 

“I see the families every month. I write, and I phone, and I visit because I didn't run!” she replied.

 

“I had no choice. No one stood up for me,” he told her.

 

“Yeah well, maybe you should've made more friends,” Tess suggested.

 

“Oh, like you and Dave, yeah?” he jabbed.

 

“He took the fall for you and you're going to blame him for leaving?” Rose asked her.

 

“Right, I'm gonna leave. Don't be late for dinner. Daisy's actually looking forward to seeing you and meeting Rose. Nice to meet you, Ellie. Good luck with the trial,” Tess said as she gathered her things and left quickly.

 

Ellie glared at Alec and reached across the table to smack his arm. “Unbelievable,” she said angrily.

 

“Well, that went well,” Rose pouted.

 

“None of that was your fault, love. And you didn't need to defend me against her,” he assured her.

 

“I know. Didn't really think that I'd be friends with her or anything after what she did to you, but what's your daughter going to think of me if Tess starts saying anything about me?” she despaired.

 

Alec didn't say anything, but pulled her tightly into his arms and looked over at Ellie who was watching them. Her anger with Alec seemed to have passed when she saw how upset Rose was over the meeting. They had lunch at the diner before heading back to the hotel.

 

Rose and Ellie decided to make use of the pool while Alec took a rest. His heart condition had been bothering him more and more lately. The stress of the trial and events with Lee and Claire hadn't helped any. The surgery was soon, but he wanted to take it easy before meeting with Daisy that evening.

 

“You alright?” Ellie asked Rose as they sat together in the whirlpool.

 

“S'pose,” she replied despondently. Rose thought about how much she had hated all of her mum's boyfriends when she was growing up, but this was different for Daisy. Both of her parents were still alive, just not together. It reminded her of the things that she had learned about her parents' relationship right before her dad had died. Her mother had always spoken so fondly of him to her, but when the Doctor took her back to 1987, they were fighting the whole time. It made her wonder if they would have separated if Pete hadn't died. She couldn't talk about any of that with Ellie or Alec though, they didn't know about the Doctor and parallel universes and everything.

 

“I'm sure it'll all work out eventually. Meeting his ex for the first time was bound to be stressful for everyone,” Ellie said reassuringly.

 

“Yeah. I was just kind of hoping that we could get along well enough for Daisy's sake,” Rose sighed and sank a little deeper into the warm, bubbling water.

 

“Well, you haven't met her yet. Never know,” Ellie replied brightly.

 

“Yeah. Alec hasn't even met my parents. My mum might have him running for the hills,” Rose joked, trying to lighten her own mood.

 

Ellie laughed at the thought of Alec being accosted by his girlfriend's mother. “Your mum as much of a spitfire as you are, then?” she asked.

 

“Ooh, that's an understatement. My husband was terrified of her. He could face down anything and never flinch, but the threat of a slap from Jackie Tyler?” Rose shared as she remembered all of the versions of the Doctor cowering from her. Even her Doctor in leather had responded to her like she was his mother-in-law, despite the fact that they weren't in a relationship at the time.

 

“You'll get through it. And what teenage girl wouldn't want the rich and famous Vitex heiress as her step-mum?” Ellie suggested.

 

“Jumping the gun a bit there. Don't know that either of us would actually get married again. I just want to be a part of his life, and his daughter is important to him,” Rose told her.

 

“What makes you think that he wouldn't get married again? He seems like a fairly traditional guy in that respect,” Ellie wondered.

 

“I dunno. Maybe I'm the one that's scared. I don't even know what I'm going to do after all this is over. I don't want to go back to Torchwood. It would just be too painful, no matter how much I know I could help there. My dad knows they can call me to help identify things and stuff, but I couldn't do field work again. I don't trust myself after what happened,” Rose admitted.

 

“Do you feel like it was your fault, what happened to your husband?” Ellie asked her.

 

“It was my fault. Can't say much about it. Classified and all that. But I was responsible for defending our team if the people we were negotiating with became hostile and I messed up,” Rose told her.

 

“You didn't pull the trigger on your husband, Rose. You are not responsible for that,” she insisted.

 

“And because you weren't the one who strangled Danny, you don't feel responsible for not knowing about your husband's involvement?” Rose asked her. “I know you aren't responsible. And I know that I didn't personally kill my husband. But it wouldn't help me to feel capable of doing my job while working with another team. I failed him that day.”

 

“Ok. I understand. You could work on the police force with Alec,” she suggested.

 

“I could, I suppose. Like I told you before though, it's different from the type of thing that I did. We didn't really have to answer to outside authorities with Torchwood. Didn't have to prove things in court or anything,” Rose told her.

 

“Sort of special ops, men in black type thing?” Ellie asked.

 

“Classified,” Rose said with a smirk, though it was obvious that was exactly what she was saying. “Guess I'll just keep thinking on it. I'd better go wake up Alec so we can get ready for dinner. You sure you're alright here for the evening?”

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” Ellie answered as Rose got out of the whirlpool and wrapped herself in a towel.

 

“See you later, then,” Rose said and made her way back to their room.

 

#################################

 

When they arrived at the restaurant, Tess and Daisy were already seated. Alec hugged his daughter and Daisy awkwardly shook Rose's hand as they were introduced. Alec complained about the menu, making his ex-wife and daughter laugh. Rose ordered for both of them and the table fell into a strained silence as they all thought about what to say.

 

“So, how's school?” Alec asked.

 

“Pretty shit,” Daisy grumbled. Rose fought to hide her smile at the teen's response, so similar to what she would have said at fifteen. She was fairly sure that Alec and Tess wouldn't be impressed by her choice of language.

 

“Oh, we use words like that now, do we?” he chastised with a look to the girl's mother.

 

“Don't look at me! I've been fighting this for the past eighteen months,” Tess defended.

 

“Dad, shit is not swearing,” Daisy argued.

 

“Um, it is!” Alec countered.

 

“Ah, thank you. See?” Tess agreed.

 

“No, it's not! Look at you both. You have no idea. I'm gonna get my drink,” Daisy snapped and left the table towards the bar area.

 

Rose couldn't contain her giggles any longer as Alec sighed, “Oh god, she's older, isn't she? Not just in days, but her manner and the way she dresses.”

 

“She's not a little girl anymore,” Tess told him.

 

“Yeah. I missed her change,” he said regretfully and Rose squeezed his hand under the table.

 

“Yes, you did. Let the case go, Alec,” Tess tried again to dissuade them.

 

“You know I can't do that,” he replied.

 

A man approached the table and interrupted them then, “Have you given him the bollocking, or shall I?”

 

“Ricky. Did you tell him I was here?” he asked Tess.

 

“Ricky called me earlier to lodge a complaint of harassment against you and...” Tess admitted.

 

“You leave Cate alone. She's too fragile,” Ricky insisted.

 

“We all want the truth,” Alec told him.

 

“We had the truth and you screwed it up for us. You're a failure. You can never put it right,” Ricky accused.

 

“We are going to solve this, I promise you,” Rose interjected.

 

“Says the pretty little heiress following him around because he looks like her dead husband,” he snapped at her.

 

“Just a minute, you...” Rose started angrily.

 

“Now, stop it,” Alec interrupted as he stepped between them defensively.

 

“What's going on?” Daisy asked when she returned with her drink.

 

“Is this your girl? How old are you sweetheart?” Ricky asked her.

 

“Fifteen,” she replied, confused about what was happening.

 

“I had a girl like you. She was murdered. Thanks you your dad, that man's still free,” Ricky told her.

 

“Alright,” Alec interrupted, not wanting Ricky to upset Daisy any further.

 

“When you go this time, you stay gone. There's nothing for you here,” Ricky insisted before turning to leave.

 

Alec urged Daisy and a furious Rose to sit back down at the table and their meal arrived shortly after that.

 

“I think it would be best if we left tonight rather than staying at the hotel again,” Alec whispered to Rose and she nodded her agreement. “Can you send a text to Ellie? Let her know that we'll pick her up in an hour or so?”

 

“Yeah,” Rose replied and reached into her purse to retrieve her mobile.

 

The rest of the meal was filled with quiet, polite conversation. All of them seemed to be afraid to talk about anything that might spark more tension that evening. Once their goodbyes were said, Alec and Rose picked up Ellie and their things from the hotel.

 

The next morning, as they were walking into the courthouse with Ellie, Rose asked, “Why would Ricky not want you trying to solve the case, Alec?”

 

“The same thing is bothering me. His own daughter,” Alec pondered. “What if Lee Ashworth didn't do it? What if he's been telling the truth? What if I've been wrong?”

 

“Don't go second guessing everything, love. He's involved in some way and so is Claire. There's too many things pointing to them. But what if Ricky was involved in some way too? It could explain him not wanting it reopened, even if it might get Lee put behind bars,” Rose suggested.

 

“Killing his own daughter?” Alec questioned.

 

“Well, I said involved. He did seem upset about his daughter, but what about Lisa?” Rose wondered.

 

“Oh, my god, I meant to tell you. When Claire and I went out drinking, I checked her phone, the one you gave her,” Ellie interjected.

 

“Yeah?” Alec prompted her to continue.

 

“Well, firstly, all the internet searches are about Lee. Lee Ashworth, killer. Bit odd,” she told them.

 

“Second?”

 

“And she only had two numbers in her phone. First one was yours. The other I didn't recognize. Oh, I've put it in my phone, hang on,” Ellie said as she reached into her purse for her mobile. She tried calling the number as they went through the security checkpoint at the door. “No, it's just ringing out.”

 

“Right, come on, we're late,” Alec said as the trio rushed up to the trial.

 

Olly and Maggie were arguing about something when they entered the courtroom. Maggie showed Alec something on a mobile and they shared a look as Maggie told him, “I didn't know.”

 

Olly called to Ellie, “Hey, the defence aren't calling Joe.”

 

“What? Why not?” Ellie questioned.

 

There was no time for Rose to discuss the issues going on around her though as the clerk called out, “All rise!”

 

Ms. Bishop called Susan Wright to the stand. She tried to tell them that she recognized the man she saw carrying a body onto the beach the night Danny was killed and insisted that it was Nigel Carter. They stopped for a few hours to give the Crown a chance to look into the details of the allegation.

 

Rose and Alec used the time to consider their next moves in investigating Sandbrook. Sitting on the beach together, Alec told her what Cate had said about what happened at the wedding the night that the girls were killed, “She said that he was shagging one of the bridesmaids. Gave me her name and everything.”

 

“But the reports all said they were together the whole night,” Rose replied.

 

“I know. Everyone's changing their stories now. It's a wonder we ever get to the truth when everyone thinks the important facts aren't our business,” Alec answered.

 

“So, are we going to talk to the bridesmaid then? Confirm that she was with him?” Rose asked.

 

“Probably a good idea. If he wasn't, then he hasn't got an alibi anymore. Could mean that he was involved after all, like you said,” he agreed.

 

“We asking Ellie along?” Rose wondered. “She said Tom finally agreed to talk with her, but she's probably back at the house now.”

 

“We don't need her to come,” Alec replied.

 

“I know, but we've asked her to be involved, so I don't want to leave her out of the information in case she makes a connection that we're missing, and she could probably use the distraction, love,” Rose told him as they walked down the shoreline, hand in hand.

 

Sure enough, Ellie welcomed the idea of working on something for the moment. She needed to feel useful and Rose understood that feeling all too well. They found the woman in question, Tiffany Evans, working at a restaurant as a waitress. After speaking to her manager, they arranged a few minutes to talk with her about the wedding.

 

“Where did you say you were from?” Tiffany asked them as they walked her to a private corner to talk.

 

“South Mercia police,” Alec lied, naming where his ex-wife was working. “We're looking at an old case.” 

 

“On the fourteenth of April, 2012, were you the bridesmaid for Martin and Esther Kelly's wedding at Longthorne Hotel?” Ellie questioned.

 

“Well, I don't know if that was the date, but yeah, I was at the wedding,” she replied.

 

“Did you have sex with a man called Ricky Gillespie that night?” Alec asked her pointedly.

 

“Wow, you don't mess about. You mean Ricky whose girl was killed?” Tiffany replied, slightly offended by the personal nature of the question.

 

“Yeah,” Ellie confirmed.

 

“No, I didn't. I mean, he tried it on. He was after me all night. He even followed me back to my room when I went to change my shoes, 'cause my heels were killing me, and he had this little silver hip flask. He kept trying to make me have a drink with him, but I threw him out. A bit much. He was there with his wife. The last I saw, he was heading back for the car park,” she told them.

 

“How long was he in your room for?” Ellie asked her.

 

“Five or ten minutes. I didn't see him for the rest of the evening,” Tiffany said.

 

They thanked her for her time and headed back to the car. “Looks like Cate got it wrong and Ricky doesn't have an alibi anymore,” Rose said. She had been watching Tiffany for any signs that she was lying, but he woman didn't seem interested enough in the situation to have any reason to lie about it.

 

“Nobody saw him for two hours. Where was he? And who takes a hip flask to a wedding?” Ellie asked as if Ricky might be the slightest bit concerned about looking tacky.

 

“Do you think he was trying to drug her or something? She did say he was insistent that she take a drink from it. Why not just buy the woman a drink at the bar instead?” Rose wondered.

 

“I haven't heard any reports of him trying that sort of thing with anyone,” Alec answered.

 

“Claire said that's what Lee used to do to her. Do you think it's something all four of them used to do?” Ellie suggested.

 

“I don't know. When we're done in court today, we'll talk to her,” Alec said with a sigh.

 


	17. Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay in posting new chapters. This is my busy season for work. Please review!!

Chapter 17 - Confrontations

 

Rose, Alec and Ellie watched as Susan Wright made a fool of herself in court. Ms. Knight easily discredited everything that she said, especially when pointing out that she had threatened Maggie Radcliffe about looking into her past.

 

When they were leaving the courtroom afterward, Ellie saw Ms. Wright and stormed over to confront the woman. Rose and Alec stood back and watched cautiously. They knew that she was very emotional about everything to do with the case, but Rose wondered how she couldn't see that all of her outbursts just kept on making things worse.

 

“Did you enjoy yourself, lying in there?” Ellie asked her furiously.

 

“It's not my husband in the dock,” Susan countered. “I suppose you knew all along.”

 

“No!” Ellie argued.

 

“Of course you did. We all know. We all turn a blind eye,” Susan accused.

 

“Not me. That's not what happened,” Ellie insisted.

 

“Of course not. You just keep telling yourself that,” Susan said as she turned to leave.

 

Ellie drove as the trio went to see Claire to confront her about all of the changing stories regarding the night of the Sandbrook murders.

 

“Are you alright?” Alec asked, breaking the tense silence that had fallen in the car.

 

“They'll always think I knew. No matter what the verdict, they'll always think I was in on it,” Ellie told them, her voice quivering.

 

“Just give them time,” Alec replied.

 

“Oh, brilliant! Thanks for that shitty platitude. That's fixed everything!” Ellie shouted back at him.

 

“Hey, Ellie. Calm down. I've been talking with Beth. There were a lot of things that she didn't see happening either. Things with Danny, with Mark, even with Chloe. She's still hurting, but she'll come around. I'm sure of it,” Rose told her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder from where she was seated in the back.

 

Ellie nodded in thanks for the reassurance. “Does Claire know we're coming?” she asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

 

“No,” Alec replied. Both Rose and Ellie groaned in response.

 

When they arrived, the group all sat at the kitchen table while Rose made tea. Alec wasted no time and got straight to the point. “I want you to tell me what you told Miller about that night,” he insisted.

 

Claire scoffed and looked accusingly at Ellie. “That was supposed to be between us,” Claire told her.

 

“There are no secrets between him and me,” Miller replied.

 

“Oh, is that right?” she asked as she glanced between the three, looking for signs of jealousy from Rose, but finding none.

 

“Claire, I don't care what you've said before. I want the truth, now,” Alec pressed as Rose placed the teapot on the table between them.

 

Claire sat back in her chair and considered what she would say for a moment before beginning her new story. “Right, that night, I went to see a friend, Marie, like I told you before. Except, I didn't stay over. I came home and I had a drink with Lee. And I think he spiked my drink with Rohypnol. I was out for a long time and when I woke, it was morning and he was cleaning.”

 

“What sort of cleaning?” Alec asked.

 

“Bathroom, washing linen, hoovering, washing floors. He said he fancied a spring clean,” Claire told them.

 

“So, he's drugged you, now he's cleaning the house and the next morning two girls get reported missing from next door, but you don't think to tell anyone?” Ellie questioned pointedly.

 

“No, I didn't want to think it was possible,” Claire replied, looking angry at the accusation.

 

“And what about now? Do you think he could have killed those girls?” Ellie asked.

 

“No,” Claire insisted.

 

“This is now the third version of that night that you've come up with. Why couldn't you tell me this before?” Alec accused.

 

“I didn't want you to know what he used to do to me. Hey, what are you doing?” she asked as Alec grabbed her mobile and started flicking through the menus.

 

“Whose number is that?” he questioned, showing her the screen of the phone.

 

“I don't know. It was an incoming call. I thought it was a wrong number,” she lied.

 

“No, it was an outgoing call,” Alec pointed out.

 

“Yeah, because I called it back to check and it just rang and...” she continued to lie.

 

“This area code, that's where you lived with Lee,” he interrupted.

 

“Now I feel like I'm being questioned!” Claire shouted.

 

“Too bloody right! You were my key witness and now you say you were lying all along!” Alec shouted back.

 

“No, I'm not lying!” she insisted.

 

“What then?” he asked.

 

“Just trying to protect him,” she replied.

 

“Him or yourself?” 

 

“That's not fair!”

 

“So, this is now definitively, this is now what happened that night?” Alec questioned.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really? Claire?” he asked, staring at her authoritatively as she looked back nervously.

 

“There is um... He was here when you went away and we had sex upstairs,” she admitted quietly.

 

“What? Claire!” Ellie shouted in disgust.

 

“You left me alone, Alec! And you, I've told you, he's like a drug to me. I can't stop myself! I can't!” Claire said in her defence.

 

“Come on, ladies,” Alec announced as he stood abruptly from the table. Rose and Ellie followed silently, completely in agreement with his disapproval of her actions. She had asked for protection from Lee, then betrayed that by speaking with him on the phone and allowing him into the house for sex.

 

“Are you going? I don't want to be on my own,” she told them in a sudden panic.

 

“Child care, sorry,” Ellie said dismissively.

 

“What happens now, then?” Claire called after them.

 

Ellie started to turn back to talk with her more, but Rose tugged on her arm as Alec called back, “Miller!”

 

They left the house and Ellie began to drive them back.

 

“She's lying. Her new story isn't the truth. I've seen plenty of people lying and she was definitely lying,” Rose told them.

 

“Why would she tell you about having sex with Lee in the house? You didn't ask about that,” Ellie wondered.

 

“She's trying to make herself look like a victim. Her insistence that she can't stop herself makes it his fault. She's blaming Alec for leaving her alone, she's blaming Lee for being addictive to her, she's pushing everything off of her own shoulders and onto everyone else's. Claire is more than just a witness to all of this. I'm starting to think that maybe she was part of the murders and Lee isn't just protecting himself with his denials,” Rose explained as she considered all of the facts about Claire.

 

“You are absolutely, bloody brilliant, Rose. Do you know that?” he said as he reached back to pull her into a snog over the seats.

 

“Thanks. But really though, we've got to figure out how she's involved. Everyone always assumes that it's the men and it's sexual when young girls are involved, but with all the sleeping around and stuff that seems to have been going on, what if it was jealousy or something?” Rose suggested.

 

“It's certainly a possibility,” Ellie agreed.

 

They pulled up to Rose's house to find Ricky Gillespie waiting outside. Rose and Alec were instantly on guard due to the hostility of their last meeting.

 

“Ricky, what are you doing here?” Alec asked him as they exited Miller's car.

 

“Is this really your gaff? I would have thought that the Vitex princess...” he said as he examined the house.

 

“Don't even finish that sentence, Ricky. What are you doing here?” Alec interrupted him.

 

Ricky looked suspiciously at the unknown woman that was with them. Ellie had picked up Fred from the sitter's and was carrying him towards the house. “Ellie Miller. We work together,” she introduced herself.

 

“She's helping us with this, Ricky. Now spit it out,” Rose told him. 

 

Ricky glared at the blonde for a moment before turning back to Alec. “I came to apologize. When Cate told me you'd been around, I overreacted.”

 

“A long way to come to say that,” Alec replied, unsure of Ricky's motives.

 

“I know Ashworth is down here. You seen him?” Ricky asked. At Alec's nod, he insisted, “You tell me where he is.”

 

“Don't go near him, Ricky, that won't help anyone,” he responded.

 

“It is eating me up knowing that he's back in the country,” Ricky told him.

 

“Look, you really want to help? Talk to Rose and Miller. They're helping me go through the case, looking to see if we've missed anything,” Alec informed him.

 

With a brief nod, he turned back to the two women and sighed. “What do you want to know?”

 

Rose invited them all inside and as Ellie and Ricky got comfortable talking in the living room, Alec pulled her aside for a moment. “You know he's involved. You're already putting together more pieces of this than I ever did. And you probably already know this, but don't let on to him that you suspect him,” he whispered to her in the kitchen, where she was pulling together what they needed for tea.

 

“I know, love. How are you feeling?” she asked, noticing the tension around his eyes.

 

“Bit run down at the moment. I'm going to sit outside for a bit, alright?” he asked with a glance toward where Ricky and Ellie were talking about Pippa. Rose nodded and he went to the backyard, leaving the discussion in the hopes that Ricky might slip something important when Alec wasn't there.

 

Rose brought a tray of refreshments to set on the coffee table.

 

“What did she want to be when she grew up?” Ellie asked Ricky.

 

“It kept changing. The last few months it was, er... hairdresser,” he replied.

 

“The night both girls disappeared, you were at a wedding with Cate,” Ellie prompted, trying to get him to repeat his story, knowing that it was a lie already. “You were together all night?”

 

“I had to look after her, she was pissed. Sign of things to come, eh?” Ricky told them.

 

“And tell me about Lisa,” Ellie continued.

 

“She was my niece. Tricky relationship with her dad. Still uses her mum's surname,” he said as he took a cup of tea from the tray.

 

“She babysat for you quite regularly?” Ellie asked.

 

“Every other week. Sometimes she'd stay over, other times I'd take her home,” he replied.

 

“Did she have a boyfriend?” she questioned.

 

“No one regular,” he answered casually with a shrug. 

 

Rose just observed the interactions with a trained eye, trying to find the weak points in what he was telling them.

 

“Did you fancy her, Ricky?” Ellie asked pointedly and earned herself a glare for the accusation.

 

“She was my niece,” he snapped.

 

“I had to ask,” Ellie replied with her own shrug.

 

“No, you didn't,” he growled in response. He looked at Rose and grumbled, “Thanks for the tea.” Ricky abruptly stood from the sofa and let himself out of the house.

 

Ellie and Rose joined Alec outside after Ricky was gone. They sat together on the patio for a moment before discussing what they might have learned.

 

“You alright, love?” Rose asked.

 

“Fine,” he replied too quickly.

 

“How much did you look into Ricky at the time?” Ellie wondered.

 

“He had a solid alibi, he and Cate said they were at the wedding together,” Alec admitted, knowing that they had now proven that to be false.

 

“But how she's changed her story and the bridesmaid confirmed it. Looks like he's lying,” Ellie deduced.

 

“Looks that way,” Alec agreed.

 

“Ricky is involved in this. I can just feel it from how much he didn't want us looking into this. And now, he's doing the same thing Ashworth did, trying to point us in a direction that he doesn't want us to look. Pretending to be helping us. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. They're all trying to find out how much we know and how much we suspect them,” Rose babbled as she paced in a manner reminiscent of her late husband.

 

“So, who are our suspects? Got Ashworth, Ricky, Claire, and that stalker on the estate. Saw that in the files from before,” Ellie listed.

 

“Possibly Cate,” Alec added.

 

“Yeah, that's right, don't trust anyone,” she responded, quoting his advice to her during the Latimer case.

 

Alec winced at how he had hardened her during the course of their jobs. “You should go, Miller. Take wee Fred. Sleep,” he suggested.

 

“I don't sleep much at the moment, and I don't like my flat, and I want to take a proper look at all your Sandbrook files,” Ellie argued.

 

“Don't get pulled into this,” he told her.

 

“She's already in it, Alec. And so am I. We're going to solve this once and for all. Come on, Ellie,” Rose told him and pulled Ellie back inside where she spread the papers from the files out onto the dining room table. 

 

They used one of the walls to tack some of the items up and organize them when they ran out of room on the table. Alec watched them for a little while, but eventually left them to it, knowing that the two women were on a roll with figuring things out. It was an hour or two later, when he suddenly had another attack and found himself falling out of his chair and onto the patio.

 

“Oh my god!” Rose cried when she glanced out the patio door to see Alec collapsed on the ground. She ran to his side, grabbing the pack of pills on the kitchen counter along the way. “Alec! Alec, love, can you hear me?” she asked as she knelt down beside him.

 

His eyes were unfocused and his hand didn't squeeze back as Rose clutched it. His breathing was heavy as she popped one of his pills out of the blister pack. Pulling his head up into her lap, she tried to urge him to take it and he seemed to come back to some awareness of his surroundings after that. Rose wrapped her arms around him tightly, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of losing someone else that she loved.

 

“I'm alright, Rose,” he grumbled hoarsely.

 

“No, you're not. I'm calling the hospital,” she said as she reached for her mobile.

 

“Don't. The surgery is soon. I'll be fine,” he assured her.

 

“Surgery? What surgery?” Ellie asked from the doorway where she was holding Fred and watching them worriedly.

 

Alec and Rose exchanged a look before Rose told her, “He's getting a pacemaker. Next week.”

 

“And when were you planning on telling the rest of us about this?” Ellie asked accusingly.

 

“After I didn't die?” he replied sheepishly.

 

Ellie scoffed frustratedly and went back inside to continue her work on the files. Rose helped him back up off the ground and into a chair.

 

“I want to go talk to Ms. Knight. About a will,” Alec told her.

 

Rose nodded, understanding his fear that he wouldn't survive the surgery. “Alright, love. I could call one of my dad's...” she began.

 

“No. No, it's fine. I just want to make sure that Daisy will be ok if...” he interrupted, but trailed off when he found that he couldn't voice his fears.

 

Rose pulled him into a hug and rubbed his back soothingly. He held onto her tightly, as if she could somehow keep him from falling by her mere presence. “I'm scared, love,” he admitted quietly.

 

“I know. I'm not ready to lose you, Alec. What we have, it's just starting. So, don't you dare go giving up on me. But I understand wanting to make sure that everything is prepared. I told you after Christmas, that the Doctor left me a message in case something happened to him. It's important to be prepared for the worst, because you never know when something horrible might happen. But I want you to know, Alec. That I don't regret any of this. You've helped me so much since we met. You know I don't need anything from you, but you. Make sure that whatever else you have would go to your daughter and I think it would be a good idea to write her a letter or something to tell her all the things that you don't feel brave enough to say face to face,” Rose told him.

 

“Thank you,” he replied simply.

 

“Did you want me to come with you?” she asked.

 

“No. I think this is something that I need to do on my own,” Alec assured her and kissed her lips that were soft and warm from crying when she was so worried about him.

 

“Ok. I'll stay here with Ellie and Fred, but you call me if you need anything, yeah?” she responded.

 

He nodded and walked through the gate at the side of the house. Rose went back inside to help Ellie sort through the evidence they had available. She helped put Fred down in her guest room after a while and they stayed up through the night working on everything. Both women were surprised to see the sun rising through the windows as Alec finally came back into the house.

 

“Have you two been up all night?” he asked them.

 

“You're one to talk. Where have you been, love?” Rose questioned as she met him at the door and hugged him worriedly.

 

“Just walking. I need a cup of tea,” he replied and walked toward the kitchen.

 

“Sit down, I'll get it,” Rose told him. She hadn't been hungry that morning and found that for some reason, the smell of making him toast was causing her stomach to flip awkwardly. Rose dismissed her queasiness as a result of staying up all night with Ellie. She hadn't done that for months, since sleeping with Alec had helped to ease her nightmares considerably.

 

As soon as Alec was sitting at the table, Ellie attacked him with questions about the things they had found. “Did you see this? Scribbled on the back of an old vehicle check form, Thorp Agriservices. What's that? Have you come across that before? And next to it, Gary Thorp, dash, Lee Ashworth, question mark. I couldn't find any note of Thorp Agriservices ever being cross-checked.”

 

“I don't think I've ever heard of it,” he sighed.

 

“We went through that stuff Lee Ashworth gave you. It's all either useless or irrelevant,” she told him.

 

“He's just trying to put us off the scent, like Rose said. Ricky and Claire are doing the same thing,” he replied.

 

“How far did you ever look into Lisa Newbury?” Ellie questioned.

 

“How do you mean?” he wondered.

 

“The last use of Lisa's bank account was at 3:54pm on the day she disappeared before she went to babysit. The last call was made at 5:17pm on her mobile to her mum. Then, no more cash withdrawals or calls made after that. But, her phone was on for another 18 hours. The last signal triangulated in Portsmouth. How did her phone get to Portsmouth? Were any of our suspects near Portsmouth then?” Ellie questioned as Rose entered the room with tea and toast for Alec.

 

“No, we checked. We know all this,” he told her assuredly.

 

“Ok, here's a thing. Lisa killed Pippa by accident, got rid of the body and went on the run. She did that and she's still alive. You've got to admit, it's a possibility,” Ellie theorized.

 

“And Lee and Claire helped her or something? Still doesn't explain Ricky,” Rose interjected.

 

“Something to think about though,” Alec acknowledged.

 

Ellie left with Fred to take him to the babysitter's before the trial continued that day. They got ready in plenty of time to see Nigel Carter take the stand to defend the accusations made by Susan Wright. The day was called to a halt however, when Ms. Bishop was notified of a family emergency.

 

Rose and Alec had gone back home to look over the files again, when Alec received a call from Lee Ashworth. Apparently, Ricky Gillespie hadn't left Broadchurch and by the time they arrived on the scene, he had beaten Lee quite severely.

 

“Ricky, get off him! Ricky!” Alec shouted as they ran toward the man that was punching Lee repeatedly.

 

Rose reached them first and twisted Ricky's arm to force him to the ground. She pressed her knee into the back of his shoulders as she held him there. Lee was coughing blood from his mouth as he rolled on the ground next to them.

 

“Do you think that will help?” Alec asked Ricky angrily.

 

“I got what I came for. You're nothing! You hear me? Nothing!” Ricky shouted as he struggled against Rose's hold on him.

 

“Enough of that. Are you going to report this, Lee?” Rose questioned.

 

“No, what's the point. Let him go,” he told her as he struggled to sit up.

 

Rose sighed in frustration and released him. “Get out of here, wanker,” she said as she shoved Ricky back down the dirt road.

 

They helped Lee with some first aid as he cleaned himself up at a tiny stone building nearby. There was a roof, but no doors or windows. It would barely pass for shelter if the weather turned unpleasant.

 

“Is this where you're sleeping?” Alec asked incredulously.

 

“The farmer said I could. I quite like it,” he replied as he pulled his jumper back over his head.

 

“I hear you saw Claire,” Alec accused and sat down nearby, letting Lee know that they weren't leaving until they got a few answers.

 

“Did you?” Lee responded evasively.

 

“You two ever use Rohypnol?” he asked.

 

“Once,” he admitted as he wiped blood from his mouth with a handkerchief.

 

“Where did you get it from?” Alec wondered.

 

“Ricky Gillespie. He used to go to Amsterdam, bring back all sorts of stuff,” Lee answered.

 

“Ricky gave you Rohypnol?” Alec asked.

 

“He did,” Lee replied.

 

“Have you ever heard of something called Thorp Agriservices?” Rose questioned.

 

Lee looked over at Rose where she stood with her arms crossed. “No,” he told her.

 

“You sure about that?” Alec pressed.

 

“Unless it's one of the businesses Cate did the books for,” Lee suggested and walked a slight distance away. He kept his back to them, so he wouldn't have to look either in the eye as he answered their questions.

 

“Did you ever sleep with Cate?” Alec asked him.

 

There was a long pause before he responded, “No.”

 

Without another word, Alec and Rose walked back to where her car was parked at the end of the dirt path that led to the farm area. Rose held his hand as he leaned on her, still winded from their rush to get there.

 

“You alright, love?” she asked worriedly.

 

“Aye. I don't think anything that he told us just now was the truth,” he replied.

 

“You are learning,” she teased.

 

“Oi! I am a highly qualified Detective Inspector, I'll have you know, young lady!” he countered playfully.

 

“Well, Detective Inspector, I might just have some detective inspecting for you to do tonight,” she said huskily as she tugged his arm back to the car.

 

Happy to be in the safety of each other's arms, they tumbled into bed as soon as they reached the house. They had shed most of their clothing on the way to the bedroom and Alec pulled off Rose's knickers as she lay on the bed and crawled between her legs. Knowing how much she enjoyed it, he pulled her knees over his shoulders and began to lick and suck on her sensitive skin. Rose moaned his name and helplessly tried to thrust her hips closer to him, but Alec held her still as he continued to please her.

 

She made happy little noises in rhythm with his flicks over her clit with his tongue and the thrusts of his fingers inside of her. Alec hummed in satisfaction with the knowledge that she was enjoying his actions so much, the vibration of it throwing her over the edge as her body tensed and she squealed involuntarily. He slowed and eventually stopped his activities as her breath returned to normal, but she pulled him up to lay next to her and handed him the condom packet that she had placed on the nightstand earlier.

 

Alec rolled the condom on and turned onto his back so that Rose could sit on top of him and control the movements between them. He longed for the day when he would have the strength to take her as forcefully as he wanted to without giving himself a heart attack. For the moment, he revelled in the feeling of Rose swirling her hips in little figure eight movements against him and held her hips tightly to help control the pace. Rose was strong from all of her Torchwood training and daily running. Her lean body easily moved with the grace of a gymnast as she slid her glorious curves against him.

 

Alec grasped her breasts and rolled her nipples between his fingers. Rose threw her head back with a groan at the added sensation and moved one of her hands to rub against herself as she sped up her thrusts against him. She was close now, he could tell, and so was he, but he struggled to hang on until she found her orgasm again. As soon as her muscles began to quiver around him, Alec allowed himself to let go.

 

Rose fell bonelessly onto Alec's chest as she shattered from her release. He rubbed soft circles on her back as they both struggled to calm their breathing and their racing hearts. She slid over slightly to curl into his side instead of resting her full weight on him and he kept one arm wrapped around her possessively. They both fell into a contented sleep then, all thoughts of the trial and the Sandbrook case left far behind them for the moment.

 


	18. Discoveries

Chapter 18 - Discoveries

 

Ellie came over to the house the next day to discuss their next steps on the Sandbrook case.

 

“Thorp Agriservices. I Googled it, it's a business in the Sandbrook area, five miles from the Gillespie house. I need to go back there to visit this Agriservices place. I could see where you found Pippa and the woods by the river. Fresh eyes. That's what you wanted,” Ellie insisted.

 

“We can make another road trip of it,” Rose agreed. There was a knock on the door and Rose answered it to find Ellie's sister standing outside.

 

“Is Ellie here?” she asked and saw her through the doorway. “There you are! Don't you answer your phone? I've been looking all over the place for you. What the hell is all that stuff?” Lucy shouted as she pushed her way inside and saw the boxes and papers everywhere that they had been examining.

 

“Excuse me. This is our house!” Alec told her as he wrapped an arm around Rose's shoulders.

 

“What do you want, Luce?” Ellie sighed and led her sister back out the door to discuss whatever it was that she had come looking to talk about.

 

“I just want you to know, I didn't know he'd done it,” she said defensively, before even explaining herself.

 

“Didn't know who'd done what?” Ellie asked in frustration.

 

“Tom's going to give evidence on behalf of Joe,” she admitted.

 

“What?” Ellie gasped, eyes wide.

 

“He went to see Joe's legal team without my knowing,” Lucy told her.

 

“He can't do that without my permission, can he?” Ellie argued.

 

“Apparently, he can. I tried to talk him out of it, but he's dead set on it, Ell,” Lucy explained, clearly frustrated. “Ell...”

 

“Oh, just... just go away Luce, go away,” Ellie stuttered in response. Her sister left with a sigh as Ellie paced worriedly.

 

“Let's take that road trip,” Rose suggested to break the tension of the moment.

 

Rose decided to drive, given Ellie's current state of mind, and programmed the address Ellie had found into the GPS. When they almost reached their destination, Ellie decided to share her theories about the place.

 

“So, Lisa's phone in Portsmouth. What else do you do in Portsmouth apart from being in the navy or looking at ships?” Ellie prompted.

 

“Go on, dazzle me,” Alec replied, earning him a slap on the arm from Rose.

 

“You get a ferry to France. Portsmouth to Cherbourg,” she concluded.

 

“So?” Alec asked.

 

“So, Lee was in France, Alec. She's suggesting that they ran off together,” Rose supplied.

 

“Exactly. Ok, this is the place,” Ellie agreed as they pulled up to an old warehouse.

 

“What is it they do?” Alec wondered.

 

“Services to the agricultural industries. I couldn't find anything more specific than that,” Ellie told them.

 

“It doesn't seem like the sort of place Lee Ashworth would be connected to,” Alec commented.

 

“So, what's he not telling us?” Ellie questioned.

 

“Lots of things, I'll bet. Looks like they're out of business to me,” Rose replied and used her sonic pen on the padlock holding the gate shut. “Let's have a look 'round.”

 

They opened one of the main doors into the building and Alec flicked a few switches before some of the lights came on. The place was filthy and obviously abandoned for some time.

 

“Are you going to talk to Tom before he gets in the box?” Alec asked her.

 

“I don't want to talk about it,” Ellie said dismissively. “Ugh, what's that smell?” she asked in disgust.

 

“Definitely blood. I'd know that smell anywhere. Might this have been some kind of place where they butchered farm animals or something?” Rose suggested.

 

“Doesn't quite look clean enough for food sources, but maybe disposal?” Alec wondered.

 

“What is that?” Ellie gasped as they entered a large room that held a huge cylindrical machine of some kind.

 

They all approached it and Alec tried to look into the small, oval shaped window in the door of the machine. It was too dark to see anything inside, though.

 

“Oh, look, here you go,” Ellie said as she pressed a large button on the nearby controls. The door slid open and they could see inside, then. “Oh, god. It's a furnace.”

 

“Disposal is right. They used to burn dead animals here,” Rose added.

 

“You still think Lisa Newbury is alive?” Alec asked Ellie and all three of them felt their stomachs flip at the thought of the poor girl being burned in the space before them.

 

Normally, Rose had no trouble with this. She was used to seeing dead bodies and disgusting aliens, but all of a sudden, the thought of poor Lisa being in there was too much and she found herself vomiting on the floor of the place. Alec held her shoulders steady and pulled her hair back until she was finished.

 

“Sorry,” she mumbled as she caught her breath.

 

“It's alright,” Alec said as he soothingly rubbed her back.

 

“Don't know what came over me. I've seen far worse than this most days at Torchwood and before that,” Rose told them.

 

“Let's get out of here,” Ellie suggested and the three of them made their way back to the car.

 

Ellie drove Rose's car as she drank a bottle of water in the back seat. Alec sat with her and stroked her hair since she was still shaking a bit. Their next stop was the woods near where Alec had found Pippa's body. Rose knew that this would be difficult for Alec and wanted to get herself back under control before they got there.

 

They couldn't take the car all the way in, so the trio walked in silence through the woods to the spot by the river where Alec had originally found Pippa. He grasped Rose's hand tightly the whole way, needing her support as painful memories flooded his mind. She stroked her thumb across the back of his hand soothingly in response. She had similar feelings while walking on a beach in Norway.

 

The three of them stood by the river for a few moments before Alec started explaining their surroundings. “There's a narrow lane about 500 yards in that direction. This footpath and the lane were both examined by forensics for tire tracks and footmarks, but they never got anything useful.”

 

“It's a long way to carry a body without being noticed,” Ellie commented.

 

“This stretch was never used much, even by the dog walkers,” Alec replied.

 

“So the killer had enough local knowledge to realize the chances of being spotted were low,” Ellie deducted.

 

“Could they have dumped the body further away and it floated here, maybe?” Rose suggested.

 

“It didn't look like it, but it's possible. Other access points are through those woods there,” he replied.

 

They all continued to look around at the area, trying to imagine what routes they would take if they were trying to hide a body here. Ellie looked at her watch nervously.

 

“What time's Tom due in the box? We could have got back in time,” Alec told her.

 

“Tom said, if I was there, he'd ask from the witness box for me to be removed,” Ellie admitted.

 

“God, I'm sorry,” Alec replied.

 

The tension in Alec's body language was clear and Rose stopped his walking to wrap her arms around his waist for a moment.

 

“Are you alright?” Ellie asked him.

 

“I walked through here just before I found Pippa,” he told her. Rose rubbed his back once more before releasing him and the three of them continued to walk slowly through the woods.

 

“So, how far are we from where the Gillespies live?” Ellie inquired.

 

“Uh, just over three miles,” he replied.

 

“And you think Pippa's body could have been brought through here?” she questioned.

 

“That's what I always thought, but it was impossible to know. As Rose suggested, she could have been put in the water further down. It was spring, so this whole area was covered in bluebells,” he responded, exasperated by the continued lack of evidence.

 

“And Claire Ripley's being sent bluebells through the post,” Ellie added.

 

“Or she's sending them to herself. Hiding it in a wardrobe in a guest room, where it might be found,” he suggested.

 

“Why would she do that?” Ellie wondered.

 

“To screw around with us,” he replied frustratedly.

 

“They've all been doing that all along. But the simple fact that she's trying to screw around with us, has me convinced that she is a part of it. They're lying to us to put us off their trail,” Rose commented.

 

“Well, the stress they've put you under, do it to them and start with Claire,” Ellie suggested.

 

“Sounds like a plan. She's panicking with Lee so close. We stop offering her protection, since she clearly doesn't really want it and see if she breaks,” Rose agreed.

 

Ellie's mobile phone beeped to indicate that she'd received a text message and she looked at it worriedly. “It's from Lucy. Tom's going in the witness box,” she told them.

 

Alec called Claire, then, to give her notice that she had to leave the house he was providing. “It's me,” he said when she answered. “I think we are done. I was protecting you from Lee, you don't want that anymore. You keep changing your story about what happened. This isn't working. Claire, I need you to move out,” he told her. They could faintly hear her arguing on the line, but he insisted, “No, I'm giving you forty-eight hours. I can. It's over, Claire.”

 

He hung up the phone and they began to walk back to the car. Along the way, he called Tess to ask her to meet at the same diner as before. Ellie was going to visit with the Gillespies to get more information from them. She was told them it was to get financial records, but her main plan was to find out if they knew anything about Thorp Agriservices.

 

Alec and Rose sat on the bench across from where Tess was sitting when they arrived. “I just want the details of the stalker that was seen around the estate in the weeks before the girls disappeared,” Alec told her quietly.

 

“And against my better judgement, I put all the statements, four sightings in the week before, on here,” she replied as she pulled a thumb drive from her pocket for him.

 

“Thank you,” he said sincerely.

 

“Plus all CCTV collected from the case,” she added.

 

“And there's a company, Thorp Agriservices. If we could send a forensics team...” he pressed.

 

“Uh-uh. Stop. No forensics teams, nothing official. I'm pushing as it is. Do not drop me in it,” she responded harshly.

 

“If we need it, I'll pull in a favour from Torchwood,” Rose whispered to him.

 

Alec nodded his acknowledgment of the line that Tess refused to cross. He also decided that she should know about his surgery, at least for Daisy's sake. He threaded his fingers with Rose's and told Tess, “Um, I'm going into hospital tomorrow. Pacemaker.”

 

“Bloody hell,” she replied in shock. “Are you alright with that?”

 

“If anything happens, I've made a will,” he admitted.

 

“You are worried,” she realized.

 

“Of course we're worried,” Rose told her.

 

“Have you told Daisy?” Tess wondered and Alec shook his head.

 

“I'll be there. I can text you if you want,” Rose offered.

 

“Sure. Thank you. Well, um, good luck,” she told him.

 

They picked up Ellie before heading back to Broadchurch. She told them that Cate had denied all knowledge of Thorp Agriservices. Ellie wanted to get back though, because no one was giving her any updates on what had happened in court with Tom. They drove past the area where Claire was on the way and Ellie saw her outside. She got out of the car then to go and talk with her, assuring them that she would walk back to her car in town later.

 

Rose drove back home then. They needed to pack a few things to bring with them to the hospital in the morning and Rose called her mum to let her know about Alec's surgery as well. She promised to come down and visit the next week and bring some food for them while he was recovering. Rose assured her that wasn't necessary, but agreed that it would be nice to have them visit while they weren't working.

 

Alec and Rose went to bed early, their limbs tangled together, but neither could sleep for a long time as they were both terribly worried about the surgery. No words were necessary, so they just stroked each other's hair and faces. Not knowing if these might be the last hours that they would spend together.


	19. No More Broken Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slight delay again. I don't have to work for the next few weeks, so I should be able to post a little more quickly again for a bit. I hope you like this one... the end strays a bit away from the show, but we all need a little Jackie Tyler in our lives, don't we?

Chapter 19 – No More Broken Heart

 

 

Since Alec's surgery wasn't scheduled until later that day, he and Rose went to the trial. They watched as Mark Latimer admitted to where he was and what he was doing the night of Danny's murder. He explained that he and Becca Fisher had sex in her car and afterward, he had driven by himself to somewhere quiet and wrote a letter to his wife. The note was to tell her that he was going to end their marriage. Obviously, he hadn't given it to her because they were still together now, but the very thought of it had Beth running from the courtroom in tears.

 

Rose and Ellie both followed her into the stairwell. Beth collapsed into the corner of the floor and sobbed uncontrollably. Rose immediately curled up next to her and hugged her friend tightly.

 

“Shh. Ok, Beth. It'll be alright,” she said soothingly as she rocked her back and forth.

 

“Oh Beth, it's not Mark. This is not Mark. This is Joe doing this to us,” Ellie told her as she took her hands and knelt in front of her.

 

“Mark never showed you that letter. He never would have even mentioned it if it weren't for this stupid trial. How many times have we thought about something and almost said it, almost did it? The important part is that he didn't. Things are getting better now with the baby, yeah?” Rose assured her and squeezed her tightly.

 

Beth sniffled a bit and nodded.

 

“Now, I have to go with Alec to the hospital, but I'll have my mobile with me. You call me if you need to talk, alright?” Rose informed her and switched places with Ellie.

 

“Yeah, you go on, Rose. And thanks,” Beth replied tearfully, but calming down.

 

Rose met Alec back in the lobby and they left the courthouse together. She drove to the hospital and there was a tense silence between them. They were terrified of what the outcome would be from his surgery and neither could think of anything to say that hadn't already been said.

 

After he had been admitted and taken to get ready, Rose was directed to the waiting room. She tried reading the book she had brought or doing a crossword, but her mind just wouldn't allow her to focus on anything but her worry for Alec. All of her friends were busy in the trial room, so there wasn't even anyone she could talk to other than to call her mother, but she knew that Jackie would only make her more worried.

 

##################################

 

Alec's thoughts as he was given the anesthetic were of Rose. He thought of her lovely face and the smell of her hair as he held her in his arms. Would he ever be able to do that again, he wondered. His odds for surviving this surgery were not fantastic according to the doctors, but he was determined to make it through for her. She had already lost so much recently. He had to make sure that she didn't lose him too.

 

As he breathed the gas to put him under, his dreams started out about Rose. They quickly changed to the imagery of his nightmares, however. Visions of Pippa, Lisa, bluebells, and so much water everywhere. He was drowning. He needed to wake up. Nothing would allow him any escape from the images that haunted him. Nothing that is, until he faintly heard Rose's voice calling to him.

 

A gentle hand was caressing his own as he opened his eyes slowly. Alec turned his head to the side, meeting the concerned eyes of his beloved Rose. “I'm alive,” he whispered before a single tear fell from his eye and he drifted back to sleep from the medication.

 

###################################

 

Rose wept relieved tears as Alec went back to sleep with a gentle smile on his face. The worst was over and the doctors had told her that everything had gone perfectly, but he would need to take it easy for a while, of course. She took a moment to send text messages to Ellie, Tess, Beth, and her mother, all of whom had asked to be notified as soon as there was any news.

 

Ellie came to visit at the hospital as soon as she could get out of court. She couldn't stay long though, since she had to pick up Fred and Tom from Lucy's house. Everyone was surprised to see Tess show up at the hospital.

 

“What are you doing here?” Alec asked her.

 

“Suddenly had a thought you might die, I felt I had to drive down and see you,” Tess replied.

 

“I have Rose here, you didn't have to come,” Alec told her as he squeezed Rose's hand in his.

 

“I know. Still felt like the right thing to do,” she responded.

 

“Thank you for coming. We were about to head home, you're welcome to stay for dinner,” Rose told her, politely offering the olive branch to his ex-wife.

 

“That would be nice, Rose. Thank you,” she said with a smile.

 

Rose and Tess helped Alec into Rose's car and they drove separately back to the house. After sitting him on the sofa with a cup of tea, Rose set about heating up the casserole that was already prepared. Tess helped by making a salad.

 

“You're very good for him, you know,” Tess said quietly as they worked together in the kitchen.

 

“He's very good for me,” Rose replied. “We've been helping each other. Both a little broken, but getting better.”

 

“Yeah. I never meant to hurt him, you know. He's a good man,” she told her.

 

“He's a very good man. And whether you meant to hurt him or not, you did. Alec deserves better than that,” Rose replied, turning to face the woman with her arms crossed over her chest. They were both trying to keep their voices down to avoid alerting Alec to their discussion.

 

“You're right. He does,” Tess said sincerely.

 

Rose brought Alec his pills and sat next to him as they waited for dinner to be ready. Tess took the chair nearby and the trio sat in an awkward silence for several minutes.

 

“Why did you come?” Alec asked her finally.

 

Tess sighed and folded her hands before answering, “Honestly,I thought if you had died and I never said that... When the pendant was stolen from my car...”

 

“When you were shagging Dave while we were still married,” Alec interjected.

 

“You took the blame,” she admitted. “You covered for me, just so I wouldn't get the rap. You're a good man, Alec.”

 

“They would have ruined your career. I got away with mine. Just,” he told her.

 

“I just wanted you to know that I loved you for that. And I'm very happy for you now,” Tess admitted to the couple cuddled together on the couch.

 

“Where are you staying tonight?” Rose asked her politely.

 

“On your sofa?” she asked sheepishly.

 

Alec laughed at that. “How about the guest room?” he suggested.

 

“I think we can manage that,” Rose said and kissed Alec on the cheek before going to make up the bed for her.

 

Tess' mobile rang, then. “Oh, it's your daughter,” she announced as she looked at the screen. “Hey, Daze. Yeah, I'm with him. Pretty shit. Oh, I'm teasing. Rose is taking good care of him. She wants to speak to you,” she said as she handed him her phone.

 

“Hey, darlin'. Fine. Yeah, no, it's a little bit of metal. It's the first step to being the Six Million Dollar Man. What do you mean you've never heard of the Six Million Dollar..? What do they teach you at that school? Yeah, it's all fixed. No more broken heart. Well, Rose had been working on that long before the doctors,” he told Daisy with a smile. “Yeah, I'll see you soon, love,” he added as he ended the call and handed the phone back to Tess.

 

Dinner was still a little tense between them, but Rose was beginning to feel like maybe Tess wouldn't make things difficult for she and Alec to be involved in Daisy's life. They would never be friends after the way she had hurt Alec, but they didn't need to be enemies either.

 

Alec went to bed early, still drowsy from his medication. Rose came back into the main living area after getting him settled, to find Tess looking over the evidence that was pinned on the wall and still spread over part of the table.

 

“He won't stop until he solves it, will he?” Tess asked her.

 

“No. He feels responsible. It's eating away at him and he needs that closure just as much as the families do. We're close, I can feel it,” Rose replied, sipping from a fresh cup of tea.

 

“I'll do what I can, but we need to have something really solid before we can open things back up officially,” she told her.

 

“We will. You don't have to stay tomorrow. My mum's coming this weekend. Probably not a great idea for you to be here then,” Rose informed her honestly. “I'm not kicking you out to be rude, but we'll take good care of him.”

 

“I'm glad for that, Rose. I'll head back tomorrow,” Tess responded. “Goodnight.”

 

Ellie called the next afternoon. Tess had gone home and Alec was taking a nap, his pain medications still knocking him out. She explained to Rose what had happened in court after they left. Apparently, Mark had gotten into the cells after Joe had been arrested and spoke with him, which was against procedure. The defence had tried to use that fact to get the case dismissed, but the application had been refused today, once the facts had been examined more closely.

 

“Also,” Ellie told her, “Claire showed me a photograph yesterday. She was wearing Pippa's pendant.”

 

“What? Why would she be wearing it? Do you think you can get a hold of the photograph?” Rose wondered. “Seems like we need physical proof of everything, yeah?”

 

“It's in her portfolio at the cottage. She's not moved out quite yet,” Ellie replied.

 

“See what you can do, Ellie. I'll update Alec about all of it when he wakes up later. We might not be much help for the next couple of days. My mum's coming to _help_ over here this weekend,” Rose told her.

 

“Why do I get the feeling that you don't think she'll be all that helpful?” Miller laughed.

 

“Because she's Jackie Tyler. Alec survived the surgery, but can he survive her?” Rose replied jokingly. “Call again if anything new comes up.”

 

“Not a problem, Rose. I'll be thinking of you two,” Ellie said as they ended the call.

 

Rose went into the bedroom to snuggle with Alec for a bit before her mother got there. She just laid next to him and stared at his face for a long time. She couldn't help but see all the physical similarities, but trying to see the differences between him and the Doctor. While Alec was sleeping, relaxation smoothed the lines of stress around his eyes and he was almost indistinguishable from her husband. His hair was definitely different and she had never seen the Doctor with even the slightest bit of stubble whereas Alec seemed to prefer his beard. Rose cherished the little differences in Alec and she gently brushed some of his hair off of his face with her fingers.

 

Alec opened his eyes and smiled softly at her. “Hello, love. What time is it?” he whispered, not wanting to break the spell of their quiet moment.

 

“About three. I'll have to go pick up mum from the zeppelin soon. Will you be alright here until I get back?” she asked, still worried about him.

 

“I'll be fine. Tougher than I look, yeah?” he teased.

 

“Alright. Do you need anything while I'm out?” she asked as she helped him out of bed. He moved to sit in the dining room so that he could go over some of the papers there again.

 

“Nah, think we're alright,” he replied.

 

“Oh, Ellie called, we've got to discuss some things that happened in court today, unless you want to call her yourself. Also, she said she saw a picture of Claire's where she was wearing Pippa's pendant,” Rose informed him as she grabbed her purse and slipped her shoes on.

 

“Really? Yeah, I might give Miller a call while you're gone so she can catch me up,” he responded.

 

“Now, don't go getting yourself all worked up about it. It'll probably be stressful enough around here the next couple days with me mum hovering over us,” Rose warned and gave him a kiss before heading out to pick up her mother.

 

Alec spent the next hour getting all the news from Ellie about the trial and her latest visit with Claire. She promised to try and get a hold of the photograph as evidence if possible, but knew Claire would be getting out of the house soon, so she didn't have much time to try for it. He had just hung up with Miller and started the kettle to make tea when Rose and Jackie arrived at the house.

 

“Honestly, sweetheart, you're looking a bit tired. You been sleeping enough?” Jackie questioned as she carried several bags into the house.

 

“Yes, mum, we've just been worried about Alec's surgery is all. And there's been the trial for the last case that Alec worked on. The man murdered a little boy and now they're trying to blame it on the kid's father, can you believe it?” Rose told her, trying to take her attention off of her appearance.

 

“That's despicable, that is. Ooh, what are you doing up? You go and sit down, I'll make the tea,” she insisted as she pulled Alec out of the kitchen and back towards the sofa.

 

“I'm fine, really, Mrs. Tyler,” Alec countered.

 

“It's Jackie, please. And you need to be resting, not hanging about in the kitchen. Nice cuppa tea, that's just what you need and I brought shepherd's pie. So much easier bringing things on the zeppelins than it was...” Jackie rambled.

 

“Mum! Let me help you with all of that,” Rose interrupted before she could say something suspicious about the other universe. She urged her into the kitchen to have a whispered conversation. “I haven't told him about the other universe stuff, yet.”

 

“What? Why not? You're living with him and all, but you haven't told him the truth about your past?” she questioned, looking at Rose like she was committing an atrocity.

 

“It hasn't been necessary. Look, I told him that Torchwood works with aliens, but I didn't tell him that I married one. If things look like they'll be more permanent, then I'll try to explain it, but we've only been together for a few months, mum. I can't go telling every guy that I date about it,” Rose explained as she put biscuits on the tea tray to bring into the living room.

 

Jackie placed a jar of jam on the tray and reached for a banana.

 

“Mum, what are you doing? He's not the Doctor,” Rose said as she placed a hand over hers before she could break the banana off of the bunch on the countertop.

 

“But this Pete likes everything that my first Pete did,” Jackie argued.

 

“I know, but Alec isn't a parallel Doctor, mum. He isn't like him in any way except looks,” she told her and put the jam away. “Come on, you'll see what I mean,” Rose sighed as she picked up the tray and headed back toward the sofa.

 

Jackie sat on the chair next to the sofa as she prepared her cup of tea and looked at Alec curiously. “You really do look just like him,” she said finally.

 

“Mum, you're being rude,” Rose chastised.

 

“It's alright, love. Not like it's anything new, just usually the other way around when people see pictures of John to compare to me,” Alec responded diplomatically.

 

“Sorry, Alec. Just gonna take some getting used to, yeah?” Jackie apologized. “How you feeling?”

 

“Oh, much better. The pain medication leaves me drowsy, but otherwise, I feel great,” he replied with a smile.

 

“Have you thought about work after? Do you think they'll let you back on active duty again?” Rose wondered.

 

“No, I hadn't considered it yet. I'm definitely done with teaching recruits,” he sighed.

 

Rose laughed at that. “Yeah, don't know that they'd even want you back there.”

 

“What are you gonna do, Rose? Go back to Torchwood?” Jackie asked, clearly not happy with the idea.

 

“No. Not after what happened. I wouldn't feel...” Rose began, but stopped herself because she didn't really want the lecture about how she shouldn't feel responsible for the accident. She knew that she would never feel confident as a member of those teams again and didn't want the looks of pity to start again either. “Don't know what I wanna do next, but I'm sure I'll think of something, yeah?”

 

“Course you will. I'm gonna go put that shepherd's pie in the oven. What's all this then?” she asked as she passed by all of the Sandbrook materials.

 

“Just something we're working on. An old case from a couple years ago that never got solved. I'm helping Alec try to figure it out,” Rose explained loudly as her mother bustled about in the kitchen.

 

They talked about current events and Alec shared a bit about his past with Jackie as they set the table and prepared dinner. Rose moved Jackie's suitcase into the guest room that she had cleaned up after Tess left.

 

When they all sat down at the table for dinner, Rose suddenly got up from the table and ran to the loo. Alec and Jackie could hear her retching and Alec cursed under his breath, “Not again.”

 

“Again? How long's this been going on?” Jackie asked worriedly.

 

“Just a few days,” he replied and got up to check on her.

 

Jackie pursed her lips in thought as she hummed curiously.


	20. Discoveries and Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the answer you've been waiting for... and apparently, this chapter made my beat cry, so just a fair warning. Don't know if I've ever made anyone cry with my writing before, that's kind of cool actually.

Chapter 20 – Discoveries and Revelations

 

"I'm running out to the store, sweetheart. I'll be back in a jiff," Jackie called to her daughter, who was still throwing up in the loo. Their dinner was getting cold on the table, but she had a feeling she knew exactly why Rose's stomach suddenly flipped at the scent of what used to be their comfort food at home.

 

Grabbing Rose's keys, Jackie took her car to the corner store and was back five minutes later. Rose was sitting on the sofa with her head down as Alec sat behind her and rubbed circles on her back when she returned.

 

"Come on, let's get this figured out right now. Alec, have some supper before it gets cold and I'll take care of her for a bit, yeah?" Jackie told him.

 

"Alright," he replied, slightly confused as he watched Rose's mother drag her back to the loo with a small bag from the chemist. He almost choked on his dinner when he realized what she was getting at.

 

"What's this all about, mum?" Rose protested and pulled her arm out of her mother's grip.

 

Jackie shut the door behind them and handed Rose the box that she had purchased. Rose's eyes went wide as she looked at it.

 

"No! Absolutely not!" Rose nearly shouted, but checked herself so as not to worry Alec.

 

"Are you sure, sweetheart? Because it seems to me like you're showing all the signs and accidents do happen," Jackie argued.

 

"We've been using condoms every time. There's no way..." Rose told her but stopped as she remembered something. "There was once, it broke."

 

Jackie took that as a sign that she might just be right and opened the box to insist even more. Rose took the little stick quickly then and pushed her mother out of the room before locking the door.

 

Jackie snickered slightly and went back to the dining room to eat her own dinner. Alec looked up at her as an awkward silence fell over them. He fidgeted with the food on his plate for a moment before clearing his throat and asking, "You aren't suggesting..?"

 

"I might be," Jackie replied with a raised eyebrow.

 

"But.."

 

"Don't you 'but' me, mister. She tried that at first until a certain broken condom situation came to mind," she countered.

 

Alec groaned and covered his face with his hands.

 

"Look, Rose is an independent woman, she don't need no money from you or anything, but she does need to be loved right now. You've been doing a great job of that so far, but.." Jackie told him.

 

"I promise you, Mrs. Tyler, that something like this won't make me run away from her," Alec replied. It wasn't a lifelong commitment he was promising, but if they did break up, it wouldn't be because they had gotten pregnant.

 

Rose came back into the room a few minutes later, holding a little white stick. Without even waiting for her to say anything one way or the other, Alec got up from the table and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck for a few minutes, just breathing in his scent as it calmed her nerves. "It's positive," she whispered.

 

Alec squeezed her tighter as her mum jumped up and ran over to hug them both. "Oh, sweetheart, that's wonderful!" she squealed.

 

"Is it?" Rose whispered in Alec's ear.

 

"Absolutely," he replied and kissed her temple.

 

Rose fought back the tears that had been threatening to fall as she worried about what Alec's response would be. She pulled back to look at his face and make sure that he was really alright with the idea of them having a baby and he smiled at her reassuringly.

 

"I hate to break it to you, mum, but I don't think the little one is a fan of your shepherd's pie," Rose laughed suddenly.

 

"More for the rest of us then," Alec told them and he kissed Rose full on the mouth in celebration of their discovery.

 

"I'll warm up something else for you, dear. How about some soup? Help settle your stomach, yeah?" Jackie suggested. At Rose's nod, she went back into the kitchen. Just before she left the room completely, she mouthed, “Tell him!”

 

"Are you sure you're ok with this? I mean, we've only been together for a few months," Rose asked him, worriedly wringing her hands. She didn't need the prompting from her mother. If they were going to have a baby together, that kind of pushed their relationship into serious enough that he needed to know everything.

 

"There is no one that I would rather have a baby with than you, Rose. You've made me so happy. I think it's wonderful," he told her honestly as he took her hands in his to calm her restlessness.

 

"There are things that I should tell you. About my past. Things that weren't important really, but with a baby.." Rose admitted.

 

"Rose, love, I didn't run screaming when you told me you worked with aliens. Unless you need to tell me that you are one, I don't think there's anything to be that worried about," he insisted.

 

She laughed nervously, thinking about just how close to the mark he was getting with his little joke.  “ You're going to think I'm a nutter. It's a good thing I've got proof, ”  Rose told him and sighed as she considered where to start.  “ Alright, what I need to tell you has to do with the Doctor. I know that my past relationship isn't something that you're worried about, but hear me out and you'll see why I need you to know all of this, yeah? ”

 

“ Ok, ”  he said slowly, bracing himself for whatever it was that she felt was so important and nerve-wracking.

 

“ When I was nineteen, I was working in a shop. I told you that, but it wasn't just any trouble makers that were threatening me that night. The shop dummies all started coming to life and were going to kill me. See, this alien force called the Nestene was making all the plastic stuff alive and dangerous. I was just about to get killed, when someone grabbed my hand and told me to run. That was the Doctor. He blew up the whole shop because there was a relay on top of the building. Thought that was the end of it, but he came to my apartment the next day, tracking down this plastic arm that had followed me. We found the big blob of plastic goo together and stopped it from taking over the planet. Then, he invited me to go with him in his time and space ship, ”  she told him, not daring to look up and see his reaction.

 

“ I was following just fine until you said that he had a time and space ship. Are you telling me that your husband was an alien, Rose? ”  Alec asked her.

 

Rose only nodded. Neither of them noticed Jackie standing in the doorway as she listened to this conversation, ready to jump to Rose's defence if need be.

 

“ Alright, let's say I believe you. I'm not saying that I don't, but it is a little much to swallow, love. Why do you think I need to know this, now that he's gone? ”  he asked her honestly.

 

“ I travelled with him, through time and space for two or three years. Hard to tell exactly when you aren't living the days in a straight line. And this is where it gets... complicated. We fell through a crack into a parallel universe. Things were almost the same, but drastically different at the same time. Our England had a Prime Minister, but the parallel had a President. In our universe, Pete Tyler died when I was a baby, but in the parallel, he was alive and never had any children, ”  Rose explained and finally looked up at him to see if he understood what she was saying.

 

“ You're telling me that you're from another universe? ”  Alec asked, slightly shocked and looking for confirmation.

 

“ Yeah. We came here the day Lumic activated the Cybermen. The Doctor and I, with the help of the Preachers and Pete Tyler, we stopped them. Then we went back home. After a few more months of travelling, we found out that the Cybermen that were here in the factories were breaking through to our universe. The Doctor found a way to send them all into the dead space between universes, called the Void. Problem was, since we had travelled through to another universe before, we would get sucked in too. We had these big clamps to hold on to, should have kept us safe. But the lever that controlled the opening on my side of the room slipped. I had to let go of the clamp to fix it or else all the Cybermen would have stayed and destroyed the planet. Once I got it back in place, I couldn't hold on. Pete Tyler, from here, rescued me before I could fall into the Void, but it meant that I was stuck here. For years, I fought to find a way back to the other universe. Couldn't do it until the stars were going out and when I did, we had an even bigger battle to face. It's hard to explain, maybe I can get into the details later, but the important part is that in the battle, the Doctor was sort of split into two. One of them, part human. The other Doctor left the two of us here before the walls between universes closed again, ”  Rose concluded and they sat in silence for a few minutes until Jackie placed a bowl of soup in front of Rose at the table.

 

Alec was startled out of his thoughts at the distraction and looked up to Jackie curiously. She nodded to confirm that everything that Rose had just told him was true. He ran through all of the things that Rose had told him about before, the curious things that didn't quite add up. He realized then, that this explanation made all of those things fit. The daughter of the wealthiest man in the country working in a shop, her husband understanding alien languages, the odd pen-like thing that she used to unlock doors, all of it. She had told him that they travelled together, she had been completely honest about her life with only the exception of the cover story that she had been hidden away during her childhood.

 

“ I believe you, ”  he said finally.  “ I do, but, in the interest of knowing everything that I can about you, what's this proof you mentioned? ”

 

“ Well, other than mum and Pete telling you that it's all true, there's CCTV footage from the night of the Cybermen attacks, all the work at Torchwood to get me back to the other universe, and the message from my husband that he left for me to see after he died, ”  she admitted.

 

“ I'm sure that your family will be more than happy not to have to hide discussions about your past, should we spend any time with them. I don't need to see the things from Torchwood, I'm sure it's all classified anyway. Feel free to say no, but do you want me to see the message that your husband left you, Rose? It isn't something that I think I need to see. I don't think you'd even mention it unless there was something about it that you wanted me to see, ”  he responded.

 

“ I guess. Maybe? He was an alien, but he loved me, Alec, so much. I guess, I want you to see that and see why I was ready to move on with my relationship with you, especially after I saw his message, ”  she told him. 

 

"Have some dinner first, love," he told her as she started to get up from the table. "Plenty of time for that later."

 

Once Jackie had gone to bed and they were alone in their room, Rose took the little hockey puck shaped device from her dresser drawer. She sat with Alec on the bed as she braced herself for seeing the Doctor again. Feeling brave, she pressed the button.

 

“ _Sensors indicate someone other than Rose Tyler or her family is present. Please confirm that this person is trusted with the secrets of your past, Rose,"_ the voice of the Doctor announced.

 

"Yes," Rose answered, hoping it would accept her vocal reply since she didn't see any buttons to interface with it.

 

 _"Confirmation accepted. Additional message to be played after the original,"_ the recording informed them before continuing with the message Rose had already heard at Christmas. _"Hello, Rose. If you're watching this, then something has happened to me and I'm not with you anymore. I left this with your mum because I trust her to know when you'll need it. There are a few things I think you'll need to hear if I'm not there. First and foremost is that I love you. I've loved you from the start, you know that now and you know that the other Doctor in our home universe will love you for centuries to come. Unfortunately, I don't have a way to send you back to him. So, here's the other things that you need to hear. Help people. It's what you do best, love. Share that compassionate spirit of yours with the world. Please try to smile again. Your incredible smile could light up entire galaxies, so don't let it disappear forever. And make new friends. Find more hands to hold. It was so hard for me when you were gone, to accept other people travelling with me. But you can, Rose. And you should. I want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted for you. So, do that for me, Rose. Have a fantastic life. I love you.”_ The hologram froze as he smiled at the end of the message.

 

There was a blip then and a second message began, _"This message is for the friend that Rose is entrusting with the knowledge of her past. If I know my precious girl, you're probably more than just a friend for her to feel the need to share all of this. Cherish that trust. Rose's compassion and love know no bounds. Make sure that she knows how much she is loved every single day because she is the most spectacular creature in two universes. Take care of my precious Rose and don't waste a single day, the way I did for far too long before admitting to her just how amazing she truly is. I had just come from fighting in a war when I found Rose. I felt like I wanted to die and never expose anyone to my dangerous soul ever again, but this lovely, pink and yellow girl found some good left inside me. She mended my hearts and showed me how to live again, made me want to live again. I was so afraid that if I told her how much I loved her, that the universe would take her from me, the way it takes everything I care about. But it took her anyway. I had hoped we would finally get forever when I came here, but I can't seem to ever get it right. Rose is stubborn, headstrong, brave, observant, brilliant, oh and did I mention stubborn?" the hologram paused to rub the back of his neck and wink. "Just help her to live the fantastic life that I had always wanted to give her. And thank you."_

 

Rose had tears streaming down her face by the end of the second message and Alec held her tightly. He knew about all of the qualities that the Doctor had praised her for. He knew how compassionate she was and her ability to help heal broken hearts. He only hoped that he could be worthy of her love and her trust. There wasn't any more to say for the evening, so he placed the little device on the nightstand, turned off the light and snuggled into bed with Rose as she continued to sniffle slightly. Eventually, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.


	21. Drawing Conclusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter isn't particularly exciting if you've seen the original show. Just kind of going through as they collect all of the facts, but important nonetheless. I've tried to include Rose's usual comments that point out the observances we were all screaming at the TV screen as we watched. Enjoy.

Chapter 21 - Drawing Conclusions

 

When Rose awoke the next morning, Alec was already out of bed. She could smell breakfast and tea from the kitchen and wrapped her dressing gown around herself as she made her way out of the bedroom. She was slightly surprised to see Alec dressed in his usual suit as he went over the papers of the Sandbrook evidence while drinking his tea.

 

Jackie handed her a cup and she filled her plate. She was famished after her upset stomach the night before and the bacon smelled fantastic.

 

“I am ready, love. We are going to light a fire under them and we are going to solve this!” he nearly shouted enthusiastically.

 

“Someone's excited,” she commented with a smile.

 

“I'm reborn! I'm on fire! We'll call Miller and we'll need Tess to get the case officially reopened, so I want to keep her in the loop too,” Alec rambled.

 

“Alright, invite them both over and we can work out a game plan. I'm glad you're feeling better, love,” Rose told him as she stuffed her face with eggs and toast. “I'll just need to get cleaned up, yeah?”

 

It was two hours later when Ellie and Tess arrived at the house. Alec had gone out for a bit while Rose made herself presentable, though he wouldn't say why. Rose had insisted to both of them that the news of her pregnancy should stay a secret for now, just in case something happened. And they would need to come up with a proper press release through the Tyler's PR people.

 

“Claire's gone from the house. Then I found a pile of ash in the sink, presumably from where she burnt the photograph of herself wearing this pendant,” Miller told them once everyone was together.

 

“Really? You think Pippa's pendant actually belonged to Claire?” Tess asked, not having heard about that news the day before.

 

“Well, Claire was wearing it in the photograph I saw. So, she must have given it to Pippa at some point,” Ellie deduced.

 

“And now she's burnt the photo. She's panicking. That's good, eh? I like it when they panic,” Alec said excitedly.

 

Rose beamed at his newfound enthusiasm. This was a side of him that she hadn't seen before. She knew that it was partially because he felt so much more energetic after his surgery, but she thought some of it might be about the baby too.

 

“Yeah, so what? Claire kills the girls and Lee covers for her? What would be her motive?” Ellie wondered.

 

“Not necessarily. We've always felt that she was involved, but it doesn't mean that she killed them directly,” Rose interjected.

 

“I knew I'd seen this name before, Gary Thorp,” Tess called from where she was looking over some papers tacked on the wall.

 

“Yeah, he runs that incinerator business, Thorp Agriservices,” Ellie confirmed from her research into the business before.

 

“Yeah, he was also on the invite list to the wedding Ricky and Kate went to. RSVP'd yes, but didn't turn up on the day,” Tess replied triumphantly as she found a connection between those points.

 

“So, does he know Ricky and Kate? We haven't talked to him?” Alec asked.

 

“There was no connection until now, I'll get onto it. And no, it doesn't mean we're gonna reopen the case,” Tess told him firmly. “Right, what are you three going to do?”

 

“Miller is gonna give Claire one last chance to confess,” Alec insisted.

 

“Oh, am I?” Ellie questioned, not impressed with being ordered around by her former boss.

 

“Aye, you are. We're gonna set a fire under her,” he growled.

 

“What about you two?” Tess asked.

 

“We're going to light the fire under Lee. Then we watch which way they run,” he replied with a frightening sneer.

 

“Right then, we've all got our jobs figured out. We'd best get to it,” Rose announced and gathered all of their mugs to put in the kitchen.

 

Jackie walked into the room then and looked startled at them preparing to leave. “Oi! Aren't you supposed to be resting? Where do you all think you're off to?” she questioned.

 

“Sorry, Mrs. Tyler, but we've got a mystery to solve,” Alec called to her as he took Rose's hand and pulled her with him out the door.

 

“I told you, it's Jackie! And don't you two dare do anything dangerous!” she shouted after them from the doorway.

 

##################################################

 

Lee came down to meet them as they approached his little shed. Alec squeezed Rose's hand in reassurance before addressing the man they were fairly sure had killed at least one of the girls.

 

“Where's Claire?” he asked, knowing the question would likely make him worried.

 

“Don't you know?” Lee countered.

 

“She's left the cottage,” Alec informed him.

 

“What did she do that for?” Ashworth wondered.

 

“Anyway, we came to say, thank you,” Alec told him with a smile, avoiding the fact that he had told Claire to get out of the cottage.

 

“For what?”

 

“South Mercia Constabulary have authorized the Sandbrook investigation to be re-opened. New leads, new evidence. We could never have done it without that information that you gave us,” Rose lied convincingly.

 

“Not gonna take long to wrap it up now,” Alec added as he draped an arm over Rose's shoulders and smirked at the man.

 

“Are you alright? There's something different about you today,” Lee questioned.

 

“I'm more than alright, Lee. I'm reborn!” Alec answered excitedly.

 

“What?” Ashworth asked, chuckling as if Hardy might have lost his mind.

 

“I thought this case would kill me. I thought I would die not knowing; having failed. Then I had my operation. After it, when I woke up and I was alive, I discovered that I can do anything now. I've got so much ahead of me and this case, it makes me angry. Really, properly angry. For the Gillespies, for Pippa, for Lisa. I'm not broken anymore. Now, I've got a new lease on life. Whereas you, of course, look at you. You're exhausted. Sick of running. Sick of not being able to escape what happened. I get that,” Alec told him.

 

“You don't get anything about me,” Lee growled.

 

“What I don't get is whether you're lying to protect yourself or someone else?” Rose wondered.

 

“Presumably, Claire,” Alec added. “I'd always thought she was lying to protect you. Maybe it's the other way 'round. You can't trust her.”

 

“You're wrong,” Lee replied confidently.

 

“Am I? She ever tell you she was pregnant?” Alec asked.

 

“When?” Lee demanded, suddenly angry.

 

“Judging by the dates, well from before the night Lisa and Pippa went missing. So, all the time you were in custody,” Alec told him.

 

“You're lying,” he denied adamantly.

 

“Why would he?” Rose interjected.

 

“Ask her,” Alec replied.

 

“So what happened to it?” Lee said as if he still didn't believe it to be true.

 

“Why don't you ask her?” Alec concluded and they turned to walk back to Rose's car.

 

As Rose pulled her car back onto the main road, Alec received a call from Tess about Gary Thorp and they decided to go and interview him while he was at work. Rose set her GPS for the drive back to Sandbrook and Alec called Miller to see how things had gone in court that day.

 

“You bribed your sister?!” he shouted into his phone. “Can you not see how that could get put together? Well, that's alright then! It could go either way. Juries are funny animals. Rose and I are going to interview Gary Thorp. Tess found out a few things and I want to talk to him. Alright, yeah. Bye.”

 

“What was that all about?” Rose asked.

 

“Miller gave her sister some money to cover her debts the same day that she gave us her statement about what she saw the night of the murder. So, of course the defence feels that she bribed her sister to make up evidence to frame Joe,” Alec explained.

 

“God, I know she's your friend and she keeps getting a raw deal on this, but it seems like she keeps digging the hole deeper for herself half the time, yeah?” Rose groaned as yet another mistake went against them.

 

They entered the building and found a young man washing a car diligently.

 

“Gary Thorp?” Alec asked. At the young man's nod, he added, “South Mercia Police.”

 

“Are you the same Gary Thorp who owns Thorp Agriservices?” Rose questioned.

 

“Used to. It was my dad's business. When he died, I took it over. Went bankrupt. What's this about?” Gary explained.

 

“Um, did Kate Gillespie do your business accounts?” Alec asked.

 

“Not to my knowledge.”

 

“Have you ever met Kate, or her husband, Ricky?” he wondered.

 

“Yeah, once. He lent me cash when I was in trouble. Uh, money came through his niece, Lisa,” Gary told them.

 

“So you knew Lisa Newbury?” Rose asked curiously.

 

“We went out a couple of times,” he admitted.

 

“Was it serious?” she queried.

 

“I wish!” he scoffed. “I fell for her, big time. I thought she was the one, and she didn't feel the same about me.”

 

“Why didn't you come forward when Lisa disappeared?” Alec demanded.

 

“I wasn't in any state,” he answered nervously.

 

“Why not?” Rose asked more gently.

 

“The business was in a state 'cause I wasn't paying attention to it and my whole life started unravelling really quickly, everything went out of control,” he told them.

 

“What do you mean, out of control?” Rose pressed slightly.

 

“I used to follow her a little bit. Stand outside where she was. I'm not proud of it,” he admitted reluctantly.

 

“Like when she was babysitting? Did you stand outside the Gillespie's house when she was there? Where were you on the night the two girls disappeared?” Alec insisted.

 

“In hospital. I tried to kill myself,” the young man said finally.

 

They let the young man get back to work and went to the car. He was clearly unstable, but he wouldn't have killed Lisa. The question was whether there was some kind of connection.

 

“Why did he try to kill himself on that night specifically? What if he was at the Gillespie's before his attempted suicide? Maybe he saw something or talked to someone and it made him crack?” Rose theorized.

 

“We should talk to Ricky again. See why he gave him money and what the relationship was from the other side,” Alec suggested.

 

Alec called Ricky Gillespie and they were instructed to meet him at his office. It was a portable unit on a construction site, but he seemed to make himself at home there.

 

“So, what are you here for?” Ricky asked.

 

“Did you ever give money to a Gary Thorp?” Alec questioned as Rose looked around the office.

 

“Nope, never heard of him,” he denied quickly.

 

“He went out with Lisa a couple of times, got a business called Thorp Agriservices,” Alec explained further.

 

“Yes. Yeah, I did give him some cash. Lisa asked for some help, said he had a cash flow problem, that I'd get it back,” Ricky admitted, as if finally realizing who the boy was.

 

“Why didn't you tell us at the time?” Alec wondered.

 

“Uh, 'cause it didn't seem important and it never came up,” Ricky told him.

 

“Did you know he ran an animal incineration business?” Alec informed him, knowing that he might use that to try and pin things on someone else.

 

“Jesus. Do you think he had something to do with it?” Ricky gasped.

 

“How long have you had this picture?” Rose interrupted suddenly from the other side of the room.

 

“A year? Two?” Ricky replied confusedly.

 

“Do you like bluebells?” she asked him.

 

“Yeah, yeah. They're alright. They're a flower, aren't they?” Ricky stuttered, unsure of what this had to do with their questions regarding the girls.

 

“Well, thank you very much for your time,” Alec said suddenly and led Rose back outside.

 

When they were a few steps from the door, Rose asked, “Did you copy down the number Ellie got from Claire's phone?”

 

“No, but I can call Ellie. You think it might be his office number?” he realized.

 

“Maybe,” she said, glancing back at the office nervously.

 

Alec asked Ellie to call the number she had copied from Claire's mobile and sure enough, they could hear the phone ringing from inside Ricky's office at the same time. They got back into the car as their minds swirled with possibilities.

 

“Ok, so Ricky has a picture of bluebells in his office, Claire has that number on her mobile, Claire has been sent bluebells through the mail, and the area around where Pippa's body was found was covered in bluebells at the time of the murder. He knows who killed his daughter. If he didn't do it himself, then why is he protecting that person by not telling?” Rose deduced. “Did Claire kill Pippa and that's why he sent her bluebells?”

 

“Maybe they have something on him? If he comes forward about whoever killed Pippa, they'll tell on him?” Alec theorized.

 

“Does that mean he might have killed Lisa? Why would he kill his niece?” Rose wondered.

 

Rose and Alec drove back to the house, not wanting to leave Jackie on her own for too long. It would give them a chance to jot down some of their theories as well. Jackie went back to London on Sunday afternoon with many kisses, hugs and tears for both of them. She insisted that they visit soon, so that Alec could meet the rest of the family.

 

“Well, you survived meeting my mother. Didn't even get a slap! That's better than the Doctor managed,” Rose teased.

 

“I'll keep that in mind, love. Should probably give my Da a call, so you can meet him too,” Alec replied and wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

 

“They're finishing up the trial tomorrow. Do you think they'll convict him?” Rose wondered.

 

“I dunno. Just because we know that he confessed to it without any coercion, doesn't mean the jury will believe it,” Alec responded with a sigh. He had seen one of his cases fall apart so dramatically before and knew just how easy it was for things to go wrong.

 

“Let's get some rest and we can deal with that tomorrow.”

 

They sat with Ellie in the courtroom as they listened to the two barristers give their closing remarks on the case. The crown reiterated all of the evidence against Joe Miller and questioned why he didn't run eagerly into the witness box to defend himself. In her opinion, the only logical reason for that was that he knew that he couldn't defend himself. The defence, once again tried to accuse Mark of killing Danny and asking Nigel to dispose of the body for him. She insisted that it was impossible to be completely sure that he had committed the atrocity he was accused of.

 

After the jury were sent for deliberations, Rose saw Beth and Mark outside of the courtroom. Alec stayed nearby. They weren't his friends, but they were Rose's and it had been his responsibility to gather all of the evidence in the case.

 

“Honestly, if they really want to say that you had done it, Mark, they still proved that Joe was there. Wouldn't he be claiming that he had witnessed it? Wouldn't he say that he saw it happen? This whole thing is ridiculous,” Rose fumed.

 

“I know, Rose. We all know what really happened. Thanks for being here with us,” Beth said, trying to calm her down.

 

“I'm sorry. I should be the one helping you through this and I'm just stressing you out more,” Rose apologized.

 

“The judge has let the jury go today. They'll be reconvening tomorrow,” Ms. Knight's assistant, Ben, informed them.

 

“How long will it take?” Beth questioned, rocking the sleeping baby in her arms gently.

 

“It could be done within an hour tomorrow, could be a week, it's impossible to predict,” he admitted.

 

“Do we have to come in tomorrow if they're still discussing?” Beth wondered.

 

“No, but if they reach a verdict, they'll read it immediately,” Ben told her regretfully.

 

“We have come back and sit and wait?” Mark grumbled.

 

“Yeah,” Ben acknowledged.

 

“Whole bloody system stinks,” Mark complained from where he was leaning to overlook the lower level of the building.

 

“I'm sorry Mark, I know it can't have been easy for you in there,” Ben apologized, knowing that the whole trial had been as hard or worse on the family than the pain of the loss had been to begin with.

 

“You have no idea,” Mark replied quietly.

 

Rose and Alec said their goodbyes to the family for the evening. They called Ellie over to discuss all of the new details that evening. They knew that they were getting close to figuring it all out, but they needed to find the proof that would allow them to really convict someone.

 

“Recurring suspects, what were they doing in the 12 hours before Lisa and Pippa went missing?” Alec asked as he paced the dining room.

 

“Uh, right. Claire left work at four o'clock and she went to do Cate's hair for the wedding party that night,” Ellie said as she and Rose drew with different coloured markers on the map. “Ricky, he got home at 4:45, having spent the afternoon at a building site doing foundations.”

 

“Lee finished a job that morning, putting in flooring in a church hall, then went to buy stock. We've got him on CCTV in the carpark, a receipt timed at 14:27, so that all tallies. And then, Claire and Cate remember hearing him working on his own floor when Claire was doing Cate's hair,” Alec added as he drew his own marker lines on the map. He indicated a picture that they had of Lee, Claire and Pippa sitting with the unfinished flooring around them.

 

“When was that taken?” Ellie asked as she looked closely at the photo.

 

“About a week before,” he replied quickly and refocused on the other people they had examined. “That leaves Gary Thorp, who says he spent all day and most of the evening at work. The place was on a seven day, twenty four hour activity during that period.”

 

“Well, so the furnace was alight all weekend? Who else knew that?” Ellie questioned.

 

“See, this is what bothers me. When I asked about Thorp Agriservices, he lied. He said maybe it was connected to Cate,” Alec told her.

 

“Yeah, he seemed to remember giving money to Gary rather quickly, once it was clear that we knew about it,” Rose added.

 

“He'd heard that name before, he knew it was connected. How?” Alec wondered.

 

“Well, Gary Thorp is a credible suspect, especially if he was stalking Lisa,” Ellie responded.

 

“But Gary was a mess. He clearly has some kind of anxiety issues and I checked into it as best I could, he was in hospital that night after an attempted suicide. Even if he had killed them before trying to kill himself, he wouldn't have had a chance to dispose of the bodies,” Rose interjected.

 

“And how does Lee Ashworth know he was stalking Lisa? We only know 'cause Thorp told us. Ashworth would have no reason to know that,” Alec realized.

 

“Unless Lisa told him,” Ellie agreed.

 

“Oh! What if, like I said before, Gary was there at the house that night and Lee spoke to him? Scared him and that's what made him snap and go try to kill himself? I thought maybe he saw it and went mad, but Lee's a scary guy,” Rose suggested.

 

“If that's the case, Lee must have known Lisa better than he's ever admitted,” Ellie added.

 

“Mustn't he?” Alec agreed excitedly.

 

“Time to have another chat with Lee?” Rose asked with a smile.


	22. Closing In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Ok, there are two more chapters after this. Sorry it took a bit to get this one updated, but it's all written now, so the last bit will come fairly quickly now. There may be a sequel to this story, but it will be later on. I'm going back to college in September and my schedule is going to be insane, so the other stories I have going will probably already be plenty for me to work on.

Chapter 22 – Closing In

 

 

Alec sent Lee a text message that he was sure would tempt him to meet them. Then, he and Rose went to wait for him to show up. It was a busy, public space, ensuring that they would be safe from him getting violent with them.

 

“What did that text mean? I've got something wrong?” Lee asked accusingly as he approached them.

 

“Thought you'd come 'round,” Hardy replied confidently. “Spoken to Claire yet?”

 

“What do you want?” Lee grumbled.

 

“Did you ever sleep with Lisa Newbury?” Alec asked him as Rose watched his reactions carefully.

 

“No.”

 

“Did you want to?” he pressed.

 

“No.”

 

“She turn you down? Knock you back?” Alec taunted a bit.

 

“No.”

 

“What did Claire make of you and Lisa?”

 

“There was no 'me and Lisa,'” he insisted angrily. “I barely even spoke to her.”

 

“Right... just slept with her?” Alec pressed. Lee didn't answer, so Alec decided to push him a little further. “What's it like to kill someone, Lee? What's it like to be in the room when the life goes out of a person? How does it feel to be responsible for that?”

 

“I told you, I don't know,” Lee replied curtly.

 

“I think you do. I look at you and I see someone stained by death. I think it haunts you every single day. Just confess, Lee. We're nearly there anyway,” Alec told him plainly.

 

“I've got nothing else to say,” he snapped and met Alec's gaze.

 

Alec challenged him, “Between you and Claire, I think there's plenty still to say. I'm gonna make you say it.”

 

Lee started walking away then, but Rose decided to test his resolve just a bit more.

 

“Bet Ricky might have a couple things to say too,” Rose added, making sure that Lee heard her. He paused his steps for a second before he continued walking away. “Ooh, that struck a cord,” she said with a grin.

 

###############################

 

The next morning, they sat in the courthouse with the Latimers as they waited for the jury to come to a decision. There were a couple of questions asked by the jury for clarification, but for the most part, it was a day of quiet, tense waiting.

 

They called everyone into the courtroom at one point to ask if the jury had come to a unanimous decision. They hadn't and the judge urged them to go back into deliberations to try and get everyone to agree. So, everyone went back out to sit and wait again.

 

Alec and Rose sat together on the benches in the lobby, leaning against each other as they quietly discussed ideas about Sandbrook and what they might do for their careers after this was all over.

 

“What do you think about teaming up as private investigators?” Rose suggested.

 

“It's a good idea. We have connections with the police if we need them and with Torchwood as well,” Alec agreed.

 

“Would you want to stay living here? We have the house and some friends here, but we don't have to,” Rose wondered.

 

“Dunno. Schools are nice and all that, but would there be enough work out here for private investigators?” he asked.

 

“Suppose you're right. We don't have to go all the way back to London, just somewhere a little closer, a little busier, yeah?” Rose suggested.

 

“We can look into it. There's plenty of time, love,” he told her and squeezed her in a sideways hug.

 

They were both startled from their conversation when Claire stormed through the lobby towards them, pulling something out of her backpack as she came.

 

“You want the bloody pendant? Have it!” she shouted and thrust a plastic evidence bag against Alec's chest.

 

“No. You took this?!” Alec gasped as he looked at what she had given him. “You had this all along!” he shouted in her face.

 

Claire stood before him passively.

 

“There's a verdict. The jury are coming back in,” Ben announced nearby.

 

Claire tried to take the opportunity to run off, but Alec grabbed her arm. Rose went to her other side and did the same.

 

“No, no, no. You're not leaving my sight. Come on,” Alec told her firmly. They urged Claire up into the courtroom with them as they sat to hear the verdict. Alec texted Tess what had just happened with Claire, asking her to come and take her into custody.

 

“Madam Foreperson, please answer my first question 'yes' or 'no.' Have you reached a verdict on this defendant?”

 

“Yes,” she replied.

 

“Is this the verdict of you all, or as a majority?”

 

“A majority,” she stated.

 

“Would the defendant please stand. Do you find the defendant Joseph Michael Miller guilty, or not guilty?”

 

“Not guilty,” the Foreperson answered, sounding almost disappointed to be saying it.

 

There were gasps around the room. Beth looked like she was going to be sick and Chloe was crying as she held baby Lizzie. Rose gripped Alec's hand tightly, but they both knew that they had more pressing things to take care of at the moment. This was tragic, but at the same time, it was over and there was nothing they could do about it.

 

“Mr. Miller, you have been found not guilty. You are free to leave the dock,” the judge announced.

 

“Thank you, My Lady,” Joe said loudly. One of the only things that he had said in the court since he made his plea of not guilty to begin with.

 

There were more formal things to say in closing, but Alec and Rose shifted their attention to Claire.

 

“Claire Ripley, I'm arresting you on suspicion of the murder of Pippa Gillespie and Lisa Newbury. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand?” Alec instructed her quietly before leaving the courtroom. At her nod of consent, they left the room.

 

As they headed toward where they could see Tess waiting for them, Alec grabbed a nearby uniformed police officer, “Come with me. Come on,” he urged. “What does it take to destroy lives forever? Twelve people. Twelve ordinary, stupid, easily swayed, hard of thinking arseholes!” he nearly shouted as they descended the staircase.

 

“Alec, I'm so sorry,” Tess told him, having heard the news of the verdict on Danny's case.

 

“I arrested this woman at 2:32pm. She's aware she's under caution. I need you to take her to the nick for me and sort out an interview room,” Alec requested of Tess and the officer.

 

“Yeah, I rang the custody suite at Broadchurch. They know we're bringing someone in. They're expecting you,” Tess replied.

 

“Claire just handed me this pendant. You two should have plenty to talk about,” Alec stated as he gave Tess the evidence bag that had once been stolen from her car.

 

Alec grabbed Rose's hand and they went to find Ellie. They eventually saw her standing outside on the balcony. He knew that they needed her insights into the case as they tried to wrap it all up. She had been checking on things while they were working on others and wanted her to get some kind of satisfaction today, even if it wasn't in the courtroom.

 

“Right. Miller, listen to me. That anger you're feeling, that rage, that's exactly how I woke up every day for the past two years, knowing that Lee Ashworth got off,” he told her.

 

“Don't you dare try and tell me I should try and let it go!” she shouted furiously.

 

“Oh god, no. I don't want you to let it go at all, I want you to stoke it! I want it to burn hard in you. Like it does in me! I need someone as angry as me right now, 'cause we're gonna close the case on Claire and Lee Ashworth today, whatever it takes, together,” he informed her.

 

“After what just happened, you think I'm gonna go with you?” Ellie questioned incredulously.

 

“Look, Ellie, I know that it hurts. I know that it feels like the whole world can just go hang. But you can't change what happened in court. You can help us fix this. You can make a difference in getting another killer behind bars,” Rose insisted, taking her hands and squeezing them supportively.

 

“That fury is fuel. Do something with it. The pendant is the lever to get them to confess. We're gonna go in hard on him. Let's work that verdict off on two very deserving people!” he told her fiercely.

 

Ellie glared at him for a moment, but nodded and joined them as Rose drove them over to the Broadchurch police station. On the way, Alec called Lee Ashworth.

 

“Claire's in custody. We believe she has evidence relating to Lisa and Pippa's deaths. I can't talk, I'm just heading over there now. Um, she turned down a solicitor. She came to me, said she wanted us to know the truth now. You haven't had a falling out, have you? Just do me a favour, don't leave the area. I'm sure I'll want to talk to you very soon,” Alec spoke into the phone. He glanced at a photo in his wallet, that Rose had seen before. It was a small picture of Pippa, kept there to motivate him into action ever since the case had fallen apart.

 

As they approached the station, Alec told them his plan. “Rose is going to sit with me to question Claire. I know that you know the procedure better, Miller, but you're compromised today to be able to question her effectively. I want you to gather all the rest of the evidence that you found and compare it with ours while we're in there,” he said as he handed Ellie a file folder with notes on their interviews with Gary Thorp and Ricky Gillespie.

 

“Alright. I think I may have something, but I need to double check a few things and that'll give me time to get it together,” Ellie agreed, not feeling up to playing the tough cop at the moment.

 

Rose and Alec steeled themselves as they entered the interview room to face Claire.

 

“Time to stop playing games,” Alec told her and started the tape recording. “Tell me how you came to have Pippa Gillespie's pendant, Claire.”

 

“Have you arrested Lee yet?” she responded.

 

“Is that what this is about? You brought us the pendant as a way of sending a message to Lee?” Alec questioned.

 

“Why did you tell my husband I was pregnant, or that I'd had an abortion, when I told you in confidence?” Claire asked him, still avoiding all of his questions. “That's a breach of trust.”

 

“You wanna talk about trust? You wanna talk about how the Gillespies used to trust you to take their daughter to school? What did you do on those journeys? You start grooming her for Lee, wasn't it?” he countered.

 

“Why did you force me to have sex with you, Alec?” she accused harshly.

 

“We have never had sex, Claire,” Alec answered calmly.

 

“Why have you been holding me against my will?” she continued.

 

“Oh, knock it off! Do you really think anyone will believe those accusations after the string of lies you've been telling all along?” Rose shouted at her.

 

“You asked me to help you because you were worried that your husband would come after you,” Alec clarified for the sake of the tape.

 

“You hurt me physically, Alec! You were sad because your wife hand another man's cock in her mouth, but you shouldn't have held me prisoner, you shouldn't have forced me to have sex with you!” Claire continued to shout her fabrications.

 

“What are you doing, Claire? What's the point of all this?” Rose asked her with her arms crossed over her chest.

 

“You wanna keep going with these allegations? Fill your boots! Go on. We'll stop now. You can report those offences. I'll be arrested. You want that? We can do that. Say the word,” Alec told her plainly.

 

“I don't think that's what you came for, Claire. Aren't you tired of it all?” Rose added.

 

“You're here because of Lee. So, what are you thinking? We bring Lee in. He gets a fright, seeing that,” he suggested, pointing at the bag containing the pendant on the table. “And then, instead of betraying you... you're banking on him realizing that he needs to stay close to you because of what you know.”

 

“I don't know anything!” Claire laughed.

 

“You know what happened to Lisa Newbery and Pippa Gillespie,” Alec insisted.

 

“You're wrong,” she countered.

 

“What's Ricky got to do with it?” Rose interrupted. Claire looked at her curiously and she continued, “See someone sent you bluebells. Ricky's got a lovely photograph on his office wall of a field full of bluebells. Add to that his number is on your mobile.”

 

Claire looked slightly more uncomfortable learning that they knew those things.

 

“What happened that night, Claire?” Alec insisted.

 

“Dunno,” she replied softly.

 

They decided to take a break and left her to stew in the interview room over the knowledge of what they had discovered. They met Ellie outside where she was still searching through the files.

 

“I'm gonna break her in there,” Alec told her.

 

“She's definitely lost some of her confidence already,” Rose beamed at him.

 

“Listen to yourselves, you're too wound up,” Ellie chastised.

 

“I will do whatever it takes to get those two in prison,” Alec insisted and his mobile rang suddenly. “What? Oh perfect! Stay there, ok,” he said into the phone and nodded to Rose that he needed her with him.

 

“I need someone to go and get a photograph from your wall and take a picture at Lee and Claire's old place,” Ellie told them.

 

“Here's the key, and you could send Tess to get the other. We've got to do something,” Alec told her and walked Rose back to the car. “Lee is at the cottage.”

 

“You've got someone watching the place?” Rose asked with a smile.

 

“Well, watching Lee in any case. Figured news that Claire was talking would send him looking for evidence,” he replied with an answering grin.

 

She drove them over to the cottage before Lee had a chance to leave. They had the officer that had been following him enter with them as a witness.

 

“Come on! Where is it?” Lee cursed as he dumped over another table onto the floor.

 

“Where's what, Lee?” Alec asked from the doorway. “Before I called you, I had someone following you. I'm arresting you in connection with the murders of Pippa Gillespie and Lisa Newbery.”

 

By the time they got back to the station, Miller had the picture of Lee with the half installed flooring as well as a photograph of the place today. “Look! See, there it is. That and that, which also makes sense of these two receipts,” she told them proudly.

 

“You are brilliant!” Rose shouted and hugged her tightly.

 

“Oh, Miller, that is outstanding! That is out-bloody-standing!” Alec agreed excitedly.

 


	23. Done My Penance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be one more chapter after this in this story. I hope you liked it!! Thank you to TheDoctorMulder for being my incredible beta and helping me through this.

Chapter 23 – Done My Penance

 

Lee was in the interrogation room, waiting for them. Since this had been Ellie's revelation, Rose felt that it was important for her to be the one to present it to Lee. Alec had suggested that all three of them could be in the room, but Rose really wanted to figure out Ricky's part in all of it. They didn't have anything yet that they could use to pull him in. She decided to go through all of the files again while he and Ellie questioned Lee.

 

Alec glared at Lee intimidatingly, but let Ellie have her moment with this discovery. Lee's solicitor was taking notes, but didn't interrupt.

 

“So, I found this at the bottom of the old case files,” she told him and presented one of the receipts. “What's it for?”

 

“A stub for a job I was doing the following Monday. Oak boards,” he replied.

 

“So you bought this Saturday morning, the exact amount, everything you needed?” she asked for confirmation.

 

“Yeah. And then I done the job on Monday,” he answered.

 

“Yeah, I know. I checked. So, why did you go back to the same supply yard first thing Monday morning and buy the exact same stuff again?” she pointed out, presenting another receipt.

 

“What?” he questioned.

 

“A second, identical purchase. Nobody thought to query it. Obviously, I'm a bit more fussy. What happened to the stuff you bought on Saturday? Why did you have to buy it again?” she pressed.

 

“I didn't get enough,” he told her evasively.

 

“This was taken a week before, as you were installing your own floor,” she said as she presented him with the picture that had been on Rose and Alec's wall. The floor boards were stained a dark colour behind him. “Those boards are not the same boards that are on that floor now. Those are dark oak floorboards. What's down there now is light oak. Same light oak boards you bought Saturday morning, and again Monday morning,” she insisted as she presented him with the picture Tess had of the house now. “What did you use those boards for, Lee, between Saturday and Monday?”

 

“What happened to the floor, Lee?” Alec asked.

 

“Nothing.”

 

“No. Something did,” Alec insisted.

 

“What were you looking for at the cottage, Lee?” he questioned, hoping a few more facts would pressure him into cracking. “Is this what you were looking for?” he added as he tossed the evidence bag onto the table.

 

“For the tape, DI Hardy is showing Mr. Ashworth a clear plastic evidence bag, AH1, containing a pendant,” Ellie announced.

 

“Where'd you get it from?” Lee asked, brows furrowed.

 

“From your wife,” he replied.

 

“What?”

 

“This is the evidence that proves Pippa Gillespie was in your car the night she died. This is the missing evidence that nearly killed me. And now, I've got it,” Alec informed him. “You know what I think this was? Her insurance policy. She didn't trust you. Just like you never should've trusted her. She has stitched you up. And she never told you about the baby. So set the record straight, and we can all get released from this. Come on! You must be so tired of lying. No one's coming to your rescue, you're on your own. This is it. Last chance. Did you kill Lisa Newbery?”

 

Lee gave in and explained that he had invited the girls to stay over on their side of the house. Gary had been hanging around outside, so he went out to scare him off. When he came back, they thought Pippa was asleep and he had sex with Lisa.

 

“You had sex with Lisa Newbery that night? All this time you've been denying it. Then what? You killed her?” Alec theorized.

 

Lee was crying as he remembered the events, half devastated and half angry.

 

“No... Claire,” Alec decided.

 

“You don't have a clue,” Lee told him. He explained that Ricky had come back from the wedding and caught them. Ricky got into an argument with Lisa while he was drunk and ended up cracking her skull on the floor.

 

They took the taped evidence out of the room and explained what they had discovered to Rose from his confession. The accusation was enough to have someone bring Ricky in now and Rose wanted to be in on the interrogations. All three of them were furious about what had happened and the lies that they had all told along the way about it.

 

Alec, Rose, and Ellie all sat facing Claire angrily. “This little box contains Lee's taped evidence,” Alec informed her, holding up the cassette case.

 

“You are lying, Claire. You've changed your story a dozen times, and blamed everyone but yourself. Now it's time to tell the truth,” Ellie demanded. “Lee's told us Ricky killed Lisa, but what happened to Pippa?”

 

Claire finally admitted that she came home to find Pippa crying on the staircase. She had overheard the whole thing. Ricky gave her a flask of something to give to Pippa to put her to sleep while he and Lee cleaned up the mess. Pippa told her everything that she had heard and said that she believed her father when he said that Lee had hurt Lisa. Claire gave her the liquid that her father had called medicine. Worried that he would be blamed if Pippa spoke about the incident later, Lee suffocated Pippa with a pillow while she was sleeping.

 

Ellie was horrified. Alec was seething. Rose had to leave the room, covering her mouth as she headed for the loo.

 

Claire then told them how Lee had taken Pippa's body to the river, while she dealt with Ricky. She had him drive her to the area near where Lee had left her. She told Ricky that the stuff from the flask had caused a reaction and killed Pippa. They couldn't call an ambulance with the blood all over the floor, so there was nothing that they could do. He was furious, but she warned him that she had buried the flask in the woods and if he tried to blame them, she would tell the police where it was.

 

“I only came home that night to tell him I was pregnant,” Claire sobbed as she finished her story.

 

Alec checked on Rose before they questioned Ricky. He knew that Rose had pinned him as one of the key players in this early on, but they had never been able to get anything on him. She would definitely want to be in on his interview.

 

“I'm fine, love. It was just too much for my stomach, what they did to Pippa just because she had heard them,” Rose told him.

 

Alec rubbed her back soothingly for a few minutes. Ricky wasn't going anywhere with the two confessions that they already had. “We're almost done now, are you sure you want to keep at this? You don't have to,” he assured her.

 

“No, Alec. I want to finish this and I want to hear Ricky admit it. He has been jerking us around this whole time and it's him that started it all. Yes, Lee had sex with Lisa, but from what he said, it was consensual. If Ricky hadn't killed her, Pippa would still be alive and it's possible that no one would even have known that they'd had sex,” Rose insisted.

 

“None of those three are innocent, but you're right that he seems to have been the one to escalate it,” he agreed. “Let's get this finished, once and for all,” he added, getting a nod from Rose as she sipped some water and collected herself.

 

In the interview room, Ricky looked defiant. His solicitor sat next to him, silently. Alec and Rose faced him, determined to get the confession that they needed to close it all down immediately.

 

“We've got a pretty clear picture of the events of that night. But we wanna hear it from you. We know you killed Lisa. But where did you bury her body?” Alec demanded.

 

“No comment.”

 

“Oh no. You're not getting away with that! Cate admitted that your alibi was crap weeks ago. She thought you were shagging the bridesmaid, Tiffany Evans, but she cleared that up right quick. And I checked into it all. That cab company that took you home keeps really good records, you know that? All the details and payments. Exactly where you went with them and when,” Rose informed him.

 

“No comment.”

 

“Seriously? My daughter was the same age as Pippa when this happened. My heart went out to you. I knew how you felt. I couldn't let you down. That's what I always thought. Two years, never letting go! I nearly killed myself over this and you're gonna 'no comment' me?!” Alec shouted angrily.

 

“Do you have anything you want to tell us, Ricky?” Rose questioned harshly.

 

“I got my punishment that night,” he replied, tears falling from his eyes.

 

“What did you do with Lisa's body?” Alec insisted.

 

“Lee was working at a church. There was a funeral the day before. So, best place to hide a body. A grave,” Ricky admitted.

 

Ricky, Lee, and Claire were all arrested. Alec pulled Rose into one of the empty rooms and together they broke down. They had hoped to get closure for the families, but the web of lies just made it all the more painful for everyone. Rose held Alec tightly, supporting him as he finally released all of the stress that had built around this case for the last two years. It was over, but it was still awful.

 

After an hour or so, they went home to rest. The interviews had taken all night and the sun was up again. There weren't any nightmares as they slept, wrapped around each other tightly, but there had been a lot of tears before and after.

 

“Will we be alright now?” Alec asked her quietly once her eyes had fluttered open to meet his.

 

“We will be. It'll take some time, but we will be, Alec. It's over now. You aren't responsible for it anymore,” she assured him and stroked the side of his face where the sunlight cast patterns through the blinds.

 

“Done my penance,” he sighed.

 

She nodded, still not quite feeling like she had done hers, but ready to move on. “Have we decided where we're going yet?” she asked.

 

“Not permanently, but we should probably pay a visit to London,” he suggested.

 

“You don't have to. Not yet anyway,” she told him.

 

“Well, feel like I should. Your mum and dad might have some things to say to me. I'd like to ask your father a few questions, but at least one of those requires an answer from you first. Rose, would you like to get married?” he asked her. Her eyes widened in shock and he turned to reach into the bedside table on his side. He pulled out a small, velvet box and opened it between them on the bed.

 

“I... is it... is it because of the baby?” she questioned before answering. She didn't want him to feel like it was an obligation.

 

“Rose, you know that I love you, very much. We've helped each other, we've healed each other. You and I are both still a little broken, but being with you gives me hope, and I haven't had that in a long time. I'll admit, the baby may have bumped up the schedule a bit, but I was probably heading toward this anyway. Please, love, be my wife?” he asked again with tears in his eyes.

 

Rose's heart was in her throat. She thought that neither of them would have any tears left, but these weren't painful or angry or sad. These were tears of hope and love. She tried to choke out a, “yes,” but it was fairly incomprehensible, so she nodded fervently.

 

Alec smiled then and pulled the ring from the box to place on her finger. It was small and simple, but it was beautiful. They both felt that the meaning was more important than the bauble. He pulled her into a tear-filled kiss.

 

 


	24. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end for now. There will probably be a sequel eventually, but I'm not sure when.

Epilogue

 

 

Rose and Alec had finished packing up her car with all of their personal items. The furniture had come with the house and neither of them were particularly attached to any of it. Jackie and Pete had insisted that they stay at the mansion while they looked at houses closer to London. Neither of them wanted to stay in London, but they had agreed some time ago that if they wanted to pursue the idea of being private investigators, they would need to live in a slightly metropolitan area.

 

Beth told Rose what they had done about Joe. Paul had arranged with some other ministers that he knew, to make sure that Joe went through the trains to the halfway house. Ellie told him that he was never to see their children again or she would kill him herself and take the consequences. Beth, Mark, Nigel, Paul, many of the people from the town told him that he had to leave. Joe Miller was no longer welcome in Broadchurch and they sent him away.

 

It could have been worse. Rose recalled what had happened with Jack Marshall during the investigation. He had been harassed to the point of killing himself over it. If Joe had stayed in Broadchurch, it was likely that a mob might have killed him before long.

 

Ellie arrived in the driveway as they locked up and prepared to leave. “Oi, you two had best not be leaving before I've had a chance to say goodbye,” she called.

 

“Oh, of course not, Ellie,” Rose replied and hugged her tightly. “You've still got my number and you're welcome to visit any time.”

 

“We couldn't have closed that case without you, Miller,” Alec told her.

 

“No, you couldn't, and you didn't,” she replied cheekily.

 

“Oh, stop it, you two. You're coming to the wedding. Mum will make sure it's absolutely enormous, probably invite the whole town to come see me in a huge meringue of a dress,” Rose told her with a smile.

 

“I wouldn't miss it for the world. You take care of her, Hardy,” she told him, offering her hand.

 

“Handshake?” he asked.

 

“Yeah. Not hugging you,” she insisted and Rose shook her head as the pair stubbornly shook hands.

 

“You take care of your boys, Ellie. There is life after. I know it hurts right now, but it'll get better,” Rose assured her and hugged her again before getting into the car.

 

Miller waved at them as Rose pulled away from the house.

 

“On to the next chapter,” Alec told her and twined their fingers together between them.

 


End file.
